


Duet

by EucaLily



Series: Haikyuu Music AU Series! [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Classical Music, Inspiration, KageHina - Freeform, Love, M/M, Music, Piano, Romance, SakuAtsu Week, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Violins, daisuga - Freeform, idkwhatelsetoputhere, iwaoi - Freeform, ushiten
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-03
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:08:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 51,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28519905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EucaLily/pseuds/EucaLily
Summary: Haikyuu!! Musicians AUSakusa loved the piano. He never thought he'd love anything else. That was until he met Atsumu.Updates can be inconsistent, much apologies!Hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Miya Osamu/Suna Rintarou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Series: Haikyuu Music AU Series! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2114640
Comments: 160
Kudos: 170





	1. Waltz in D Flat Major

Kiyoomi was next up for the recital. He wasn’t exactly sure why he had even signed up to perform, he was more of a competer rather than a performer. To him, all that mattered in piano was the skill. If there wasn’t skill, what was there? Competitions were what showed people who were actually talented. The boy before Kiyoomi had just sat down at the piano, taking his sweet sweet time adjusting the chair to make it the perfect height. But all Kiyoomi could really think about was how absolutely horrendous the boy’s hair was. An undercut, blond dyed hair, everything about him simply screamed loud and wild to Kiyoomi. 

The boy hadn’t seen the blond before. 

‘Maybe he only performs?’ Kiyoomi thought. He practically signed up for every competition that was offered close to him, or ones that he was invited to by mail, and he had never seen the blonde before. He looks through the setlist. 

“Miya Atsumu: Waltz No. 1 in D Flat Major - Chopin” 

Miya Atsumu. His name wasn’t familiar. What was familiar? The title of the piece. Kiyoomi had learned and comepted with this piece when he was 13 years old. Why the heck was some full grown adult playing this at a small town concert? 

Now let me explain. Whenever Kiyoomi had found out that someone was performing music he had already performed before, he’d compare it to his own. And for some reason, Kiyoomi felt like Atsumu would do a lot worse at the Waltz than he did when he was a teen. 

All of the performers before the blonde had been mediocre to Kiyoomi. All easy yet mistakes were littered throughout the piece. No one could match up to Kiyoomi, he just knew. 

After what seemed like a decade, Atsumu breathes in, and out, calming himself down before cracking his fingers and placing them onto the piano. 

He begins. 

And in seconds, it was as if the world became brighter. Atsumu’s hair was no longer loud and annoying to Kiyoomi. It was simply light, almost like the sun. He takes a glance at the audience, their eyes glued to the blonde pianist. And Kiyoomi almost understood why, until he scrunched his nose at how Atsumu messed up a whole measure of the piece. His posture didn’t seem to change at the mistake, Atsumu had just gone on as if nothing had happened. That’s where Kiyoomi got confused. Atsumu’s tempo was all over the place, he noticed his posture was a whole mess, and the boy was moving his head along with the music. If it had been a competition, Kiyoomi knew that the judges would be dragging him off the stage at this point. 

So when Atsumu ended, putting up his arms in excitement from finishing the piece, and the crowd cheered, Kiyoomi was close to losing it. What was so good about a boy who had messed up half the piece, and seemed to ignore the proper posture for playing piano.  
  
Walking off the stage with a bow, and a small wave to the clapping audience, Atsumu passes Kiyoomi after leaving the sight of the people. The two exchange a small glance, but it was long enough for Atsumu to see Kiyoomi’s obvious glare at him. 


	2. The Invitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atsumu’s morning after the recital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should’ve mentioned this last chapter, but feel free to listen to the pieces mentioned in the story! I recommend them all!

The morning after the recital, Atsumu woke up to an email sent to his phone. An invitation. Ever since the ending to the performances, Atsumu couldn’t take his mind off of a particular performer. Sakura? Salusa? Sakosa? He couldn’t really remember the boy’s name exactly, but he definitely remembered his performance, not to mention the big glare he gave him as Atsumu finished his piece. 

Even from before the curly haired boy started playing, it was obvious to Atsumu that he was some sort of professional. He sat on the chair, back straight and arms placed ever so carefully. The way he played was almost perfect too. Every note was exact, and the tempo was on point. He didn’t even seem to make a mistake. However, Atsumu thought it was boring. There was a robotic way the boy played. Every note was correct and precise, but the actual sound of the music coming from him was bland, mediocre. 

Atsumu got dressed for the day, which really just consisted of throwing on a shirt and some shorts and walking down the stairs. His brother was in the kitchen cooking breakfast. 

“Mornin’ Samu.” The gray haired twin turned to face his brother, flipping the pancakes on his pan. 

“Mornin’ Tsumu.” he says, turning back quickly. “How was yer concert? You came home pretty late last night. I even fell asleep before you got here.”

“Don’t lie. Ya were talkin’ to Suna weren’t ya?” Atsumu scoffs, grabbing a juice from the fridge before sitting down at the dining table. The boy sips very loudly. 

“Maybe.” Samu confesses, putting some chocolate pancakes onto the plate. “He’s just fun to talk to.”

“At 2 AM? Sounds suspicious Samu. You like him don’t you?” Atsumu takes another sip from his juice, as his brother puts the plate of pancakes in front of him. 

Osamu points at his brother with a spatula. “Don’t bite the hand that feeds ya, ya dummy.” The boy sits down in front of him, his own plate of pancakes for him to eat. “You still didn’t tell me about the concert. How was it? Did ya mess it up? This one was a bit harder for ya right?”

“It was great! The crowd cheered for me real loud! Ya should’ve seen it. It felt great!” Atsumu remembered the cheering audience from the night before, closing his eyes to try and imagine it again. 

“Sorry I couldn’t come this time. The restaurant was really busy.” Osamu explains, stuffing large amounts of pancake into his mouth. 

“Nah, don’t worry ‘bout it Samu, I get it. Yer the one makin’ the money for the apartment right now, so ya should be focused more on yer job.” Atsumu explains, scrolling through his phone, clicking onto the email he was sent this morning. 

“Yer surprisingly bearable this morning. I’m assuming yer in a good mood from the cheers last night.” Osamu says. 

“I won’t lie. That might be true.” Atsumu admits. 

“Did ya at least meet some friends? Having you bother me and Suna when we’re having out is really annoyin’.” The gray haired boy complains. 

Atsumu rolls his eyes, but nonetheless he smirks at his brother. “Why? Ya want some alone time to confess to ya crush Samu?” 

The boy swats at his brother, now scowling. “Ya know it's not that easy Tsumu.” He complains, “Suna’s scary. Hot as heck but scary. Maybe he doesn’t even like dudes. Let alone me.”

“I’m about 99.98% sure that he likes ya Samu. I’m sure of it! Ya should just shoot yer shot. And the 0.02% is because I’m sure I annoy him enough to drive him outta here sometimes.”

“Maybe, I’ll think about it. But either way, please tell me ya got some friends. I never know what yer talkin’ about when yer at the piano.” Osamu sighs, finishing his breakfast. 

“I wouldn’t really say a friend. Maybe an enemy?” Atsumu explains. 

“Oh no. Who’d ya piss off now?” Osamu rubs his head, trying to calm down from the idea of Atsumu making someone hate him for the third time that month. 

“This dude at the concert. He performed after me. And when I was done with mine he gave me the fattest glare! I swear I had no idea what I did.” 

“Hm. I’m sure it’s fine. He might’ve been a snob. Was he good?” Atsumu puts his phone down at this. 

“Stupid good.” Atsumu explains. “He was insanely good. Every note was perfect. He never even messed up. But…”  
“But?” Osamu asks. 

“It was so boring. There wasn’t anything there.” Atsumu sighs, “It’s frustrating.” 

“Hm. Maybe you’d be good friends.” Osamu says, brewing some coffee for himself, getting a morning text from Suna.

“What? What’re ya talkin’ bout? With him? I haven’t said a word to him and he already hates me.” Atsumu crosses his arms, face scrunching to show his annoyance. 

“Well it seems like ya both are frustratin’ as heck, so you seem like a good match.” Osamu laughs. 

“Yeah whatever.” Atsumu scoffs and finally reads the email. 

He drops his juice. 

“For goodness sake Tsumu. Can you please stop droppin’ crap?” Samu yells, clearly mad. Though his face softens when he sees his brother’s shocked face. “What is it?”

Atsumu looks at his brother and shows his phone to him. The screen showing an invitation. “I’ve been invited to perform at a competition!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: For this who read this that are professional classical musicians, I will probably be depicting competitions for musicians incorrectly, seeing as I have never been to one! Also, pieces I pick for characters to play may not show the difficulty of those of that age/level. It is simply pieces I think would fit the story best, and I personally like. Either way, I hope you enjoy!


	3. Different

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyoomi’s preparation for the next competition he attends. (A bit of a filler but it shows more of who Kiyoomi is :) )

Kiyoomi hated mornings. He’d usually spend most of his night practicing piano over and over again, so sleep was a bit hard for him to achieve. 

Right after the recital, he had signed up for another competition. It was in Tokyo, prize money being $300 for the first place competitor. Kiyoomi was investing in a new piano, and maybe even helping his roommate Komori by paying more for the rent than usual. The poor boy had lost his job the week before due to an incident. 

Kiyoomi knew exaclty what he would play. He had been practicing it for weeks, not because it took him long to learn it, but because he rather liked playing this particular piece. He played it everyday, multiple times, enough for Komori to closely lose his mind. 

“Play something else please Kiyo.” He had begged a few days before. “You never repeat songs like this.” 

“It's a piece. Not a song. How many times do I have to tell you?” Komori had just rolled his eyes at the comment. 

Kiyoomi had been paying his weight of the rent for their apartment with prize money from the competitions he entered, and being such a pro at simply the age of 21, he knew he’d win every competition. With his immense skill, and simply gifted musicality, it was easy. 

What bothered him was the lack of cheers he got from the recital the night before. He was upset. Upset that the trainwreck of a piano player had gotten the largest applause of the night. Miya Atsumu. Someone he had ‘lost’ to. 

So this time, he was prepared to knock out the competition. 

Every morning before the competition, the boy would wake up, make his morning cup of tea, and head straight for the piano. Of course this was after he brushed his teeth extensively. He couldn’t stand the thought of germs forming in his mouth when he was asleep. 

After lunch every afternoon, finishing his daily turkey, cheese, and lettuce sandwich, he headed back to piano, practicing the piece once again. And then every evening, finishing whatever he had happened to eat for dinner, which was usually another sandwich of some sort, he’d head to the piano again. The instrument was placed in the living room of his and Komori’s apartment, much to his cousin’s liking since he actually liked classical music. 

“Don’t you think you’re practicing it too much?” Komori asked him one morning, happening to catch him before he walked to the piano. 

Kiyoomi shrugged at him, face clearing showing no trace of concern. “I need to win the competition.” 

“No you don’t. It’s not like we need the money Kiyo.” Komori explains, pouring himself a cup of tea. “You just won like $1000 from that competition you were invited to in London.”

“So? It needs to be perfect anyway…” Kiyoomi adds, but Komori isn’t convinced. 

“It already is Kiyo.” He sighs, “After three days of practicing, you’re usually perfect at it. There’s no need to practice it over and over again right?” Komori sips the tea, yelping slightly from the heat. 

“I guess.” Kiyoomi says. “But I really just want to win this one.” 

Komori sighed again. Kiyoomi never really had this much motivation. Sure he was competitive, but not usually for small competitions like these, since he had a clear win.   
“Did something happen at the performance last night? I thought you did great!”

This made Kiyoomi stop in his tracks. 

“Didn’t I do great?” Kiyoomi scoffed. “I thought I did amazing. But the audience didn’t seem to think so.” Komori pats his cousin’s shoulder. 

“It’s like you say all the time Kiyo.” He starts, “Those people don’t understand the true talent that you have. All the years of skill you’ve been training to gain. All they really care about is cool things, not skill.” Komori tried his best to mock his cousin’s voice, not really getting it since Kiyoomi’s tone was much more broodier. 

“The way they cheered for the boy before me.” Kiyoomi rolled his eyes, continuing to walk to his piano. “It was stupid. Idiotic. But…” He sat down. “It almost made sense I guess?”

Komori crosses his arms, and goes to stand in front of the instrument. “And why’s that?” 

He looks up at his cousin. “The sound. It was… different.” 

And Kiyoomi started to play. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the longest one so far!


	4. Japan's Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :) We love him yes.

Atsumu woke up that morning energized as heck. He was fully prepared to rock the competition even if he wasn’t competing. The blonde jumps out of his bed, making a swift entrance to the kitchen where Suna and Osamu were having a conversation. Osamu was making breakfast as usual.

“Mornin’ Tsumu.” Osamu says, eyeing his brother who was in the doorway. Atsumu smiles in response, and looks towards Suna before sitting down. 

“What ya doing here this early Suna?” Atsumu asks the boy, who was already eating his breakfast. 

“Here to watch you play, duh.” Suna explains. “Samu tells me you’re a genius at the piano.” 

“I did not say that!” Osamu yells, turning to the stove to hide his red face. “I just invited him ‘cause I heard one of his friends was competin’.” 

Atsumu laughs, but he smiles, touched that his brother was so supportive of his career, even if he didn’t show it. “That’s cool. Who’s yer friend?”

“Have you heard of Akaashi Keiji?” Suna asks, and at this, Atsumu nearly falls off his chair. 

“Yeah?! He’s like one of the most talented pianists in Japan. Who wouldn’t know him. He’s yer friend? You gotta introduce me!” 

“I’m almost certain he’d hate your guts, but I will.” Suna laughs. “Maybe if you do good today, he’d find some way to like you.”

Atsumu jumps in excitement. He had heard of Akaashi when he first began piano. He was an absolute god at the piano. Playing the most difficult pieces in the book. Not only that, but the sound of the music was insane as well. He was even more excited now. 

The same was for Kiyoomi, who was more excited about winning the competition. Though he was a bit nervous ever since hearing that Akaashi Keiji would be attending the competition, he still knew that he had a good chance of winning first place. 

That morning he had his daily cup of green tea, and simply sat by the piano. He found it better to not play the piece he would perform that day. It helped his anxiety hide itself so it wouldn’t surface before or during the competiton. 

He closed his eyes and went over the keys with his own hands, hovering over the piano. Going over the piece once, he finished. Leaving the house with Komori, sheet music in hand, just in case he needed it, they headed into the car and to the venue. 

The boy slipped on his face mask before leaving the car. He’d have to take it off before playing for the competition, always scared that he would be distracted with it on, but with the large number of people attending, he couldn’t help but worry about the germs looming in the air. Yes, Kiyoomi was a germaphobe, and much as he hated public events, he loved piano and competitions much more. 

Komori held a bag filled with disinfectant wipes for Kiyoomi. They always had to wipe the keys of the piano before he could play, and this time he was happy that Komori could help him.   
The curly haired boy took a look at the setlist, skimming over the names. There were much more newer contestants than there had been over the years. Many names he hadn’t seen before. A few names jumped out to him. The first being Ushijima Wakatoshi, one of his old friends from piano school. Well, one of his only friends period. Kiyoomi wasn’t the best at making friends, especially with his harsh and rude tone, and his germaphobia driving people away. He smiled at the name. Hopefully he’d be able to see him and catch up. 

The next name was of course Akaashi Keiji. Known as one of the most talented players in Japan, Kiyoomi wasn’t sure if he was excited to hear him play or just plain nervous to know that there was a chance he might lose. 

The last name? Kiyoomi didn’t know that the directors had also hired a performer for the competition. The intermissions were usually people simply going out of the building to get some fresh air. But low and behold the oh so familiar name of the performer. Miya Atsumu. 

Kiyoomi sighs loudly, almost fully prepared to lose his cool right there. 

“That dude is performing again? That’s cool” Komori says, looking at the list after Kiyoomi. 

“In what way is that cool?” Kiyoomi scoffs, the two making their way backstage of the auditorium. “It’s the same dude that pissed me off a few weeks ago.”

“To be fair Kiyoomi, everyone pisses you off.” Ushijima walked up to the duo, his boyfriend walking behind him.   
“Wakatoshi!” Kiyoomi yells. “It’s been so long!” The two shake hands. 

“It’s good to see you Kiyoomi.” Ushijima says. He pulls the red haired boy forward. “I’d like to introduce you guys to my boyfriend. Tendou Satori.”

Kiyoomi holds his hand out to shake with him, and Komori booms with excitement. “Aren’t you that violinist? You’re like, famous!” Tendou laughs, and nods.   
“Though I wouldn’t say I am famous, but I’ve been told that I’m pretty good at violin.”

“He’s just being modest.” Ushijima says, “Satori wins basically every competition he attends.”  
“We’d love to see you perform once and a while.” Kiyoomi says. But as Tendou goes to answer, he’s interrupted by a loud voice. 

“Akaashi! You’re gonna do amazing today!” Kiyoomi turned to face the voice. A boy stood next to Akaashi, his white and gray hair blown up as hair as it could. Everything about him said loud. But he did know that Akaashi was very quiet. 

“He’s a bit loud.” Kiyoomi says. 

“He usually is.” Ushijima explains. “That’s Akaashi’s boyfriend. Kiyoomi looks at Ushijima with wide eyes.   
“You know them personally?” he asks his friend, to which the boy nods. 

“We met at a competition last year. He’s a really nice guy. So is his boyfriend.” Ushijima looks towards the couple, Akaashi patting his lover’s shoulder to hopefully calm him down, a kind smile on his face. 

“That’s cool.” Kiyoomi says quietly. 

“I can introduce you if you want.” The green haired boy offers. He means no harm of course, but Kiyoomi had no intention of meeting any big competition that wasn't already one of his friends. 

He quickly shook his head no. Ushijima, knowing how shy the boy can be, nodded understanding completely.

It was almost time for the competition after all, and Kiyoomi was rather surprised that he hadn’t seen the outrageous blonde roaming around backstage. He thought he would be causing a ruckus, but he would see him during the intermission anyway. 

\------

Atsumu was backstage by himself. He hadn’t made many friends in the musical business so it seemed like he was almost always alone. He read over his sheet music multiple times already, playing it through his head, and with his hands in the air. He felt ready to rock the stage. 

He read over the setlist. Atsumu was placed to perform during the intermission of the competition. Right after him? Sakusa Kiyoomi. Sakusa! That was the name of the boy from the recital! Of course he was there. With his skill, he probably won a lot of competitions. 

That’s when Atsumu had met him, a tall boy with rather chaotic hair, being of the colors gray and white. He was loud as heck, and that was saying a lot compared to Atsumu. The boy had stood next to Akaashi Keiji at the beginning, but when it came the time for him to perform, the boy had found a place to sit and watch Akaashi next to Atsumu. He held his hand out to him before Akaashi performed. “Hey Hey Hey!” He yelled, others telling him to quiet down. He didn’t really pay attention. “I’m Bokuto Koutarou! What’s your name?”

“I’m Miya Atsumu. Nice to meet ya.” The blonde shakes his hand. “Ya know Akaashi?” He asks when they return their hands.

“Yeah!” Bokuto yells. “He’s my boyfriend. Isn’t he amazing?” Atsumu nods in agreement. 

“He’s one of the best in the country. I know he’s really good.” Atsumu says, but Bokuto was no longer paying attention, his eyes fixated onto his boyfriend who began to play. 

The performance was mesmorizing. Even Kiyoomi had to admit. Akaashi had the title for one of the best in Japan for a reason. No one's eyes left him while he played, and when he was finished, their eyes didn’t leave him until he left the stage. Bokuto ran to hug him when Akaashi was finished. 

“Please don’t cause too much of a ruckus Bokuto San.” Akaashi says quietly, but either way, he squeezed his boyfriend hard. 

“You were amazing as always Akaashi!” Bokuto yells, only for Akaashi to tell him to quiet down with his face flushed red. It was approaching the intermission and the anxiety in Atsumu began to rise. Well, was it anxiety? Or was it the excitement to perform again?

Either way, he’d be ready. 

And just like that, Atsumu spots Sakusa Kiyoomi out of the crowd backstage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise they'll meet soon. I just need to introduce the characters first. :')


	5. His World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet I swear! :)

Kiyoomi went over the sheet music over and over again. His anxiety wasn’t doing him any good. Akaashi’s performance was perfect, how was he supposed to top that? Komori knew better than to try and calm Kiyoomi down from his anxiety attacks. Whenever he tried to help calm him down, he’d simply snap back, and find a way to not talk to him for days. He was better off without Komori’s attempts to help him. Or so he thought. Kiyoomi wanted validation. Someone to help him calm down. But Komori wasn’t always the best at that job. So basically, Kiyoomi was screwed. 

The intermission was right before his performacne as well. He wasn’t sure if he was prepared to possibly be upstaged by a chaotic blonde who didn’t have any technique whatsoever. Kiyoomi had to be positive. He knew this piece, he would do good. That’s all he had to think. 

As for Atsumu, he was pumped to go. By the time it was his turn, he was practically skipping to the piano. There was a small issue. During the intermissions, Atsumu realized people tend to leave the auditorium to stretch their legs or go to the bathroom. But with this large ego, I mean a large amount of confidence, he knew he’d be able to keep them in. 

He walked slowly to the piano, feeling a few audience’s eyes on him. Quickly glancing, he sees Osamu and Suna sitting near the front, sending him peace signs for good luck. They looked good together. 

Today, he was playing Nocturne in E Flat Major by Chopin. It was one of his favorite pieces. Though he didn’t consider the piece very impressive, who cares? Atsumu really only cared about the sound. 

Kiyoomi saw the blonde walking to the piano, bowing to the audience and sitting down. He seemed a lot less loud than the time at the recital. He caught a glimpse of his face, it looked serious, determined. It started off a bit quiet. Almost unnoticable, but definitely, the audience turned their attention to the blonde at the piano. People leaving the auditorium seemed to be going back to their seats to watch him, people stopping in their tracks. Kiyoomi couldn’t stop looking at the boy either. The stage had begun to glow with each and every note Atsumu played. It was … beautiful. Atsumu’s hands danced around the keys with ease, a small smile on his face. His music pulls everyone into his own world, even Kiyoomi was being dragged in. His heart rate even slowed down, his anxiety hiding away once more. All there was, was the music Atsumu was creating. 

And then there it was, mistakes every now and then coming from the boy’s hands. The tempo began to pick up. Kiyoomi’s head almost started to hurt. But nonetheless, the blond continued without a care in the world. The audience didn’t even seem to notice. He looks towards Komori, his cousin’s eyes glowing looking at the blonde. He moved his eyes to Ushijima, who’s eyes were also glued to the performer. 

Even Akaashi Keiji was looking at the performance in awe, a smile spread across his face. His boyfriend looked at Atsumu with a big smile as well, telling Akaashi how they had met before. 

And when Atsumu was finished, and everyone’s mind was back in the auditorium, an applause errupted from the audience. Atsumu bowed and waved to a few different people there, the brightest smile Kiyoomi had ever seen on his face. 

He walked off the stage with a sense of pride. Even though he had messed up a few of the notes, he knew he crushed it. He brought them to his world.   
And even though it had happened that Atsumu really did rock the stage, Kiyoomi was calmer than ever. Strange as it was, he was ready to make his way to the piano to perform. So he did. The piece played over and over again in his head. He was ready, ready to do it perfectly. 

“Fantasie Impromtu by Chopin.” Atsumu says under his breath as he watches Kiyoomi make his way to the piano. “He’s on a whole ‘nother level.” The setlist contained a bunch of different pieces, all at different difficulties. Sakusa’s was by far the one that Atsumu thought was the hardest thing in the world. Then, Atsumu watched as a boy went with Sakusa, cleaning the keys with wipes. He sat down, the boy quickly running back offstage.   
Kiyoomi began to play, and once again, Atsumu was surprised. Every note was perfect. The timing of when Kiyoomi’s fingers hit the keys were precise. It was obvious that the boy had been practicing for a long time for the competition. But it didn’t surprise Atsumu when Sakusa’s playing was dull, and had a mediocre sound. A robotic sound was coming off of the piano. There was no emotion.   
And Kiyoomi had done it, he played the piece perfectly. With ease even. ‘Fricking show off’ was the only thing that Atsumu could think. Atsumu had never played a piece perfectly before. There were always mistakes here and there. Kiyoomi bowed, finishing his piece, contestants and audience giving him a big applause. Enough for Kiyoomi to smile a bit.   
Atsumu watched him as he waltzed his way off of the stage, a certain attitude with the way he walked away. He passed Atsumu once again going off stage, and walking towards the boy who had cleaned the piano before.   
Bokuto walked up to him. “Wasn’t he something?” the boy says. 

Atsumu nods. “He is. I’ve seen him perform before. He never seems to screw it up.” Bokuto smiles.   
“Though, he’s no match for my Akaashi!” Bokuto yells with a big smile on his face. Atsumu can see Akaashi standing further away from them sighing and shaking his head. It was obvious to the audience that the top two performers had to be Akaashi and Sakusa. Between Keiji’s mesmorizing performance, and Sakusa’s perfect playing skills, everyone knew that they were going to be top two.

That was until the last performance of the day. He was not familiar to the rest of the competitors, and seemed like the youngest out of everyone. His bright orange colored hair made it hard for him to be noticed by others though. As much as Sakusa thought he was a loud person, the boy had stayed completely silent throughout the entire competition, only clapping quietly for each performance, and the slight tapping sound he made on the wall near him to go over his music.   
And when it was his turn to go, he was a wild animal. Eyes seemed ready to feast on the next thing he saw. His body shaking slightly from excitement. His eyes were scary, Sakusa thought, but more importantly, the boy was very short. Short enough that Atsumu could barely even see the boy, only his orange hair peeking from the top of the piano. 

He began. 

\--------

The final ranking was Akaashi in first, Sakusa in second, and the orange haired boy, Hinata Shoyo, in third. Sakusa, not getting the winning place, was rather upset, however he did win enough money for a little more help for the apartment’s rent, and even dinner for that night. 

“Don’t be too disappointed. Your performance was amazing.” Komori tries to console the boy. Surprisingly, Sakusa wasn’t very upset about not winning first place. Akaashi was very talented, and his performances were always professional. It wasn’t a surprise that he had one first. What was? The fact that Hinata won third. He was the youngest player in the group, though his overflowing talent and passion made up for the lack of experience. But Sakusa didn’t think he was that good. 

Atsumu was feeling refreshed, despite missing his chance to meet Akaashi. ‘He told me he had some stuff to do at home’ Suna had explained. That was fine, he could simply meet him another day. Now it was time to celebrate.   
“Why don’t we go to that fancy restaurant we passed on the way here?” Osamu suggests not feeling up to cooking for the three tonight. Besides, he had a personal goal: to try every restaurant he had laid his eyes on. Atsumu nodded in agreement, and Suna smiled. 

“Wanna go eat with Tendou and I?” Ushijima asks Sakusa. “I saw a wonderful place on our drive here. I think it would do very nicely.” Sakusa smiles at his old friend, nodding in agreement, the four had begun to go to the restaurant, surprised to see the blonde and his own company there as well. 

“Wasn’t that the performer today?” Tendou says. “He was amazing. Maybe we should say hello?” Sakusa was not very keen on this idea. All of them settled into the already busy restaurant, and having even the slightest thought that the blonde could interfere with his dinner did not sit well with him. 

And then disaster struck. He always knew his cousin was a social butterfly, but never considered the fact that he would’vs stood up and walked over to Atsumu’s table, pointing straight at him.   
Sakusa’s anxiety level rose as he stood up and walked over to his own group. 

“Hey everyone!” Atsumu greeted the people at the table. “I’m Miya Atsumu, it’s nice to me ya.” He held out his hand to Kiyoomi first, only for him to scrunch his nose, and turn his head away. “Sakusa Kiyoomi.” he says quietly.

Atsumu looks at him with confused eyes but moves on to shake hands with Ushijima and Tendou. 

“Miya, you were amazing today! I can’t believe you were just there to perform. Why not compete?” Tendou asks. Atsumu laughs a little bit, his smile seeming to brighten the whole room. A little too bright for Kiyoomi. 

“Aw shucks. Don’t say that. Thank you though. I really appreciate it. But I don’t think I’m good enough to compete.” Atsumu scratches the back of his head. “Sakusa seemed a lot better than me. He’s got all the technique down and everything.”

Now this made the boy turn back to look at him, he nodded, but with his mask on he was happy no one could see his obvious blush.   
“Maybe Sakusa could teach you!” Komori chimed in. 

What?

“He’s got a lot of skill. I’m sure he’d be happy to teach you!” Komori continues, completely ignoring Sakusa’s glare. And when he was about to stop him, Komori hit his shoulder slightly, smiling at him to play along. 

“Really?!” Atsumu yelled. It almost stopped all the conversations in the restaurant. “You’ll really teach me?!” The blonde turned to Sakusa with wide eyes. He was hopeful, Sakusa was not. 

But he knew he’d be getting an earful from Komori later that night if he didn’t accept. 

“Fine.” he said quietly, and Atsumu cheered, throwing his hands into the air. 

Soon after he returned to his own table, only to make small waves to Sakusa whenever he thought he was looking over. 

He wasnt. 

He was doing this because of Komori. Not because he had an ulterior motive. 

Not so he could maybe learn from him too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise I'll start doing proper chapter summaries. These are just funny to me at the moment. Hope y'all having an amazing day!


	6. Maybe This Won't Be So Bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was wrong, it was pretty bad.

“Why the heck did you have to tell him that.” The next morning Sakusa was regretting everything. He couldn’t relish the fact that he had decided to teach someone. Him. Sakusa Kiyoomi. With a complete stranger no less. 

“Oh come on. It won’t be that bad, you know it. I’m sure you’ll teach him a lot.” Komori had given Atsumu his cousin’s phone number the night before and decided it was best to start right away. Today, Atsumu was supposed to come over. 

At least there was that. There was no way Sakusa would be going over Atsumu’s house.

“Just be nice to him, and tell him what he’s doing wrong. This shouldn’t even take that long. It’ll be over before you know it.” Komori says, loading up the fridge on some more juice, water and ice tea, which was Kiyoomi’s favorite. He knew Komori just bought it to bribe him. He wasn’t sure why he had been so lenient on making Sakusa teach him. Sure, Komori would complain every now and then that he needed to get out more, and meet new people, but it was never as drastic and desperate like this. 

But before he could complain more, a certain familiar blonde haired boy walked into their kitchen. “Mornin’!” Atsumu calls out to the two, yawning right afterwards. 

“How’d you get in?” Sakusa scoffed. 

“The front door?” Atsumu looks at him with confused eyes. 

‘Man I didn’t know he was dumb too.’

“No, I meant how did you get into my apartment without a key?” Sakusa scoffs at the boy, barely even looking at him. 

Atsumu looks at him, finally understanding. “The front door was open. Thought it’d be okay to just walk in.” He walked towards Komori who was holding some food in his hands.   
“Need help putting stuff away?” He asks. Komori shakes his head. 

“I’m alright, but feel free to take a sandwich or some chips to eat.” he suggests. 

However, before Atsumu can even reach for the chips, Sakusa snaps at him. “If you eat anything with your hands, wash your hands before you touch my piano.”

At that, the curly haired boy walks towards the piano across the room. 

Komori goes to apologize but Atsumu stops him. “It’s fine. I get it. Gotta keep the piano nice after all.”

Atsumu follows him to the instrument. He puts a bag he was holding down, and motions to Sakusa, asking if it was alright to sit. 

Sakusa, rolling his eyes, reluctantly nods a yes, to which the blonde excitedly jumps on. He places his hands on the keys, pressing a few random notes. Sakusa rolls his eyes again, flipping through a few of his books. 

“Did you bring anything?” He asks the blonde. Atsumu nods, taking out some sheet music in his bag. A whole mess. The corner of the paper was messed up, and some of the notes seemed messed up, probably due to him spilling a drink onto it. 

It was taking Kiyoomi absolutely everything he had in him to not kick out Atsumu right that second. He placed the sheet music onto the piano. Cracking his knuckles, he stretched and placed his hands on the keys. 

“Just start playing, and I’ll tell you if you’re doing something wrong or something.” Sakusa says. He takes a seat on the couch next to the piano. Atsumu nods to him, smiling brightly, and he starts to play. 

‘He can’t be that bad right?’ 

\------

He was wrong. He was so wrong. 

Most literally 30 seconds into the piece, Sakusa was already yelling his head off at the blonde. Every damn note he played came with a lecture. 

“Your posture is off again you dumb- Ugh, just straighten your back at least.” Atsumu was slowly losing it too. 

He just wanted to play the damn piano, not be yelled at by someone who already seemed to hate him. “Yeah yeah alright. I heard ya I heard ya.”

Atsumu straightens his back and starts again. 

“Even your fingers are in the wrong position.”

Atsumu lost it. He stands up quickly from the piano bench. “Why don’t you try it then?!” He moves away, pulling out the bench for the man to sit down. “Go ahead.” The blonde crosses his arms, waiting for Kiyoomi to go. 

Sakusa scoffed. He stood up and gracefully sat down at the piano. “Fine, I will.” Before touching the piano however, he took out a wipe and cleaned the keys. Another thing Atsumu was frustrated about. How his so-called ‘teacher’ needed to clean everything anyone else didn’t touch. When he was finally done, he stretched and placed his fingers on the keys. He played a piece had been learning by heart. 

Atsumu had to admit - Sakusa looked like a professional. He explained as he was playing. “Your back needs to be straight. Don’t slouch. And look, my elbows aren’t sticking out like yours were.” He continued to play. It amazed Atsumu how he could play the piece so easily without any sheet music, and still be able to explain to him what he was doing wrong. 

“Your fingers shouldn’t be flat, it makes them stiff, harder to play things. Also, relax your shoulders more. You look like you’re stressed.”

“So what if I am?” Atsumu complained. “Yer the one who keeps yelling at me.” Saksua rolls his eyes. Atsumu acted just like a seven year old boy, and Sakusa was not having it. 

“Well if you can’t handle the help, the door’s right there.” Sakusa stood up pointed to their front door, a smug smile on his face. 

Komori was about to step in finally. He had been watching the two since they had started the ‘lesson’, but never bothered to interfere until Sakusa had told him he could leave. To all their surprise, Atsumu shook his head and took a seat by the piano once more. “Just…” he started “ya don’t gotta yell all the time. Aren’t we the same age? Don't treat me like a kid.”

“Actually, Sakusa’s a bit older than you. He’s already 21.” Komori chirps in. 

Atsumu looked at Sakusa. “Don’t think just cause yer older that means you can boss me around.” Sakusa scoffs. 

“I am the one teaching you. This is just who I am.” He crosses his arms. “I said if you couldn’t-” but Atsumu stopped him right there. 

“It’s fine I can handle your constant annoyance. Don’t worry.” Atsumu places his hands on the keys. “Is my posture okay now?” Sakusa was quiet for a second, checking over. 

“Relax your shoulders.” He said it was quieter than the last times he had yelled, to Atsumu’s surprise, but he was happy about it. 

“Alright. Begin.” Sakusa told the blonde. Atsumu was beaming. Maybe this wouldn’t be too bad after all.

“I said to not straighten your fingers!” Sakusa yelled only a minute later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)  
> Hope you're having a good day!


	7. Advancements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakuatsu not ripping each other's heads off :)

“At least your back isn’t all bent anymore.” It was the third day of ‘lessons’ with Kiyoomi and Atsumu. Not much has really changed other than the fact that Atsumu’s back suddenly decided to be straight. 

“Right? My brother says that too.” Atsumu snickers. 

“Yeah, well you still have a crap ton to fix. Don’t think you’re done yet just because your back is straight.”

Either way Atsumu was a lot more smiley today. Even when Sakusa yelled at him he simply nodded and agreed with him.

“Oh yer right Sakusa! My fingers are too stiff. I can’t reach the next notes.” Sakusa couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not. 

“What’s wrong with you.” Sakusa asked him bluntly on their lunch break. “Do you want something from me?” 

Atsumu looked at him with innocent eyes. “What ever do ya mean Sakusa?” He took another bite out of his sandwich. 

Sakusa just shrugged, he didn’t really care about anyting that pertained to the blonde. Atsumu however? He asked Sakusa about most literally everything. 

“How long have ya been playing piano Sakusa?” Atsumu asked, while playing the same piece for the 6th time that day. 

“Since I was 4. Keep your damn back straight.” 

Some silence. 

“Why do ya always eat these sandwhiches. They’re kinda boring once you eat them for three days straight.” 

“Cause I like them. You need to go more legato there.” Sakusa was probably paying half attention to Atsumu. It’s not like they were best friends, but Atsumu wasn’t asking personal questions so Sakusa didn’t really care. 

Some more silence. 

“Why do ya always clean the piano before you play. It’s not like I’m dirty.” Atsumu complained. He stopped playing the piece and pointed to the keys. “See? They’re perfectly clean.”

Sakusa sighed. He expected this question. He always did. Everyone asked him about it. “I’m mysophobic.” He said. He wasn’t even fazed. “Play it again. Let’s check on the dynamics this time.” 

“Yer what? That’s a big word.” Atsumu says. He started to get worried. He had a condition? 

“People call me a clean freak every now and then if that helps you with the definition.” Atsumu looked at him, eyes softening. 

“That’s pretty rude.” he says, “People shouldn’t be sayin’ that.” 

“Yeah, but I guess I’m too used to it now.” Sakusa turns away from him, taking a seat on the couch. “You can start again.” 

Atsumu turned away from him and to the piano. He needed to say something, He wanted to say something. “Well I don’t think yer a freak. I think ya just wanna be clean.” He began to play once more, not allowing Kiyoomi to say anything else. 

A blush rose to Sakusa’s cheeks. 

Komori had watched the whole thing from the other side of the room, smiling brightly for the fact that they weren’t ripping each other’s heads off. 

\------

“I’ll be blunt, since you always are.” Atsumu says, once again at Sakusa’s house for his guidance. They were both on their lunch break when Atsumu decided to bring it up. “Yer music is boring.” 

Komori coughed in the background, choking on something he was drinking. He even laughed a little bit. 

“Coming from the person who can’t even relax their shoulders while playing.” Sakusa scoffs. 

“I mean the sound, Sakusa.” Atsumu explains, eating the last piece of his sandwich. “It’s boring.” 

Sakusa frowns from behind his mask. Secretly he always knew. I mean ever since the recital where he performed Atsumu, he noticed a significant difference between both of their playing. 

“Boring?” Sakusa inquires. It wasn’t something that he was particularly interested in. When he was taught, he was taught to learn the notes quickly and play the piece as well as possible. He never really paid attention to the sound unless it was to fix the dynamics. 

“Yeah. It just sounds like… nothin’. Like what’re ya even putting into it?” Atsumu stands up, walking towards the piano. 

“I’m not putting anything? It’s music, Miya.” Atsumu shakes his head. 

“It’s not just music, Sakusa!” He yells, putting his hands up. “It’s so much more than that.” 

“What are you going on about now?” Atsumu tended to spout random nonsense whenever they were practicing. Sakusa listened, surprisingly, but only because some of the stuff he said was interesting. 

“What do ya mean?” Atsumu frowned. 

“Just yesterday you were talking about how much you liked smoothie bowls cause you said it tasted like ice cream.” Sakusa explains. 

“Well of course. The texture’s amazing. You should try it sometime. Instead of eating that same sandwich Komori makes you everyday.” He was referring to Sakusa’s daily turkey sandwich. 

“I happen to like my daily sandwich thank you very much.” Sakusa crosses his arms, Komori chuckling at the two in the background. 

“Gosh yer taste in food is as bland and borin’ as your piano playin’.” Atsumu rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. “Where’s the flavor.” 

“Again, Miya. What are you talking about.” Sakusa sighs loudly. He didn’t really understand, and the blonde was rambling again. 

“The sound Sakusa.” He says. “With music, it makes you feel somethin’. At least it should! And to be honest, yers ain’t doin’ it for me.” 

“Feel something? In music?” Sakusa was unfamiliar with the topic. 

“Yeah! Emotions! You know what that is right?” Sakusa hit his back.

“Of course I do, you idiot.” Atsumu shrugs. 

“Okay, then how does music make ya feel.” Atsumu asks straightforwardly. 

Kiyoomi paused, unable to think of anything. 

“Wait, lemme give you some music.” Atsumu takes out his phone. He scrolls through a bit before finding the perfect piece. 

Waltz in A Flat Minor No. 9 op 69 by Chopin. It was one of Atsumu’s favorite pieces. 

He played it. “Well? How does it make ya feel?” But Sakusa shrugs. 

“Like nothing? It’s just music, Atsumu.” The blonde sighs again. He didn’t know why Sakusa wasn’t feeling anything. 

“It’s not just music, Sakusa. I already told you, it’s so much more.” Atsumu puts his phone onto a counter near them. 

“Alright, then what do you feel then?” Sakusa thought this was absolutely ridiculous.

Atsumu looked at him, then to his phone, and finally to the piano. He thought about it. 

“Sad? If ya wanted a broad term for what I felt when I first heard it. It reminded me of somethin’ sad that happened. A goodbye to someone ya love? Losing somethin’ya really cared about? Things like that Sakusa.” Atsumu explains, closing his eyes and smiling a bit. 

The curly haired boy tilted his head. “You got all that from someone playing the piano. How’s that?”

“That’s just how music is!” Atsumu opens his eyes, his attention fully on him now. “Did you feel anything when I played at the recital?” 

Sakusa rolled his eyes. “Other than disgusted when you messed up half the piece, and your posture got worse? No, not really.”

“Don’t be rude Sakusa!” Atsumu whines. “I played really good that day!”

“Yeah alright.” 

Sakusa was lying straight through his teeth. He did feel something when Atsumu played. Something he had never really felt when it came to music. And maybe he was a little more keen on figuring it out now more than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked the chapter! I'm not the best at writing, so there are probably a lot of mistakes, but I'll try my best. Wishing everyone the best!


	8. OMI OMI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakusa sighs. “Whatever thing you said. Feelings and crap.”

Today, Sakusa was making a bold move. Was he ready? Of course not, when was he ready for stuff like this? Atsumu texted him that morning saying that he couldn’t come to his house because his brother needed help with organizing something at his house, so he invited Sakusa over to his house instead. 

Sakusa hated going outside of his home unless he needed to get any supplies or needed to go to a competition. Komori refused to come with him too. “You’re an adult Sakusa. You’ll be fine. And Atsumu knows you’re mysophobic, so I’m sure he’d try his best to make sure you’re comfortable.” 

Sakusa sighed thinking about the conversation he had with Komori over breakfast this morning. He wasn’t too worried. He and Atsumu had been working together for a few weeks now, so he was used to being with the blonde. But being out of his home was always worrisome for him. 

He knocked on the door of his apartment. Atsumu only lived 10 minutes away from him if he walked, 5 if he drove. He never realized he was that close. The door opened a few seconds later. 

“You dyed your hair?” Sakusa says, seeing the man’s hair was now a light gray, rather than a piss colored yellow, which let me add was weird because he just saw him the day before. The man looked at him with confused eyes, but smiles and nods. 

“Yeah. The piss yellow was kinda ugly.” He let him into the apartment. “Welcome to my home Sakusa. Lunch will be done soon.” 

“You cook?” Sakusa asks him. “That’s a surprise.”

“It is, isn’t it.” The man says, putting his hands on his hips. He looks at the boy up and down. “Yer pretty attractive, have I ever told ya that?”

Sakusa blushed a bit harder than usual, but turned away before he could see. “What are you saying? Let's just get to your piano.” The gray haired boy laughs, but shows him the piano in their living room. 

“Here it is. But we should eat lunch first. You must be hungry.” He says, showing him to a table placed near the piano. “I made sandwiches, yer favoritem right?”

Sakusa was a bit confused. Normally Atsumu was always pestering him with questions, or telling him something that happened to him that day. He was rather quiet. 

“Are you okay?” Sakusa quickly asks him. “You’re a bit different today.”

“Different how?” He asks, trying to not laugh. 

“Well for starters, you’re a lot quieter than usual.” 

And that got to him. Osamu started laughing like an idiot. Atsumu came into the room, wearing a loose white t-shirt and a pair of jeans. 

“What the…” Saksua started, before Atsumu ran in seeing him, a bright smile on his face. 

“Sakusa! I didn’t know you were already here!” Atsumu yelled. His eyes turned to his brother. “Did ya say anything weird to him. Ya better have not.” He glares at his twin. 

“You have a twin?” Sakusa starts, trying to make sense of the situation. His eyes dart back and forth between the two. They really did look exactly the same. 

“You didn’t tell him?” Atsumu glares at his brother, who was still laughing from before. 

“He,” Osamu was trying to catch his breath. “He called ya loud.” He broke out laughing again. 

“Shut up Samu!” Atsumu yelled at his brother. Osamu in fact did not shut up. He coudn’t stop laughing. Sakusa looked at the two, still shocked at the fact that there were two Atsumus. 

“Is it true Sakusa?” Atsumu looks at the boy with sad eyes. “Do ya really think I’m loud.” 

Sakusa nods immediately. “Well obviously.” 

Osamu just cracked up more. 

\------

“Miya.” Sakusa says. The twins looked up at him. Then at each other. 

“Get out Samu, he was askin’ for me.” Atsumu brags cooly. 

Osamu scoffs at his brother. “Oh please. We only met today and I bet he already likes me more than you.” 

“That’s not true!” Atsumu says. “Right Sakusa?” 

Sakusa looks at him and sighs. 

“Sakusa, you can call me Osamu. It’ll be easier to tell who yer talkin’ to.” Osamu says with a kind smile on his face. 

“Shut yer trap Samu. Sakusa, call me Atsumu. Or since we’re buddies now, you can call me Tsumu.” Atsumu crosses his arms on his chest proudly. 

“I’ll stick to Atsumu, thanks.” Sakusa says. “Let’s go practice now dummy. You’re going to forget the piece at this point.” 

Atsumu nods happily. He sticks his tongue out at his brother and follows Kiyoomi to the table. 

“I wanna give ya a nickname since we’re buddies now.” Atsumu says, sitting down by the piano. Sakusa pulls up a chair to sit next to him, cleaning it before he sits down of course. 

“Yeah okay, whatever.” 

“OMI OMI.” Atsumu yells, throwing his hands up like a child. 

“You’re a lunatic.” Sakusa says with a tired face. 

“Omiii! Don’t be mean!” Atsumu says with a pout. “We’re supposed to be buddies now.” 

“Say buddies one more time and I swear I will leave. Now put your hands on the piano.” Sakusa scolds. A frown still on his face, Atsumu puts his hands on the piano to begin. Osamu, still watching from the table smiles warmly, happy his brother has someone he could talk to now. He leaves the room and goes to his, hoping to talk to Suna over the phone. 

Sakusa had to admit, Atsumu was getting a lot better. His back was straight, and his elbows weren’t sticking out like flies. It was just the matter of his fingers being a bit too stiff, which messed up the tempo since he couldn’t reach some of the higher notes, and his damn shoulders which always seemed to be tense. 

The boy began to think about what the blonde had told him before. ‘How does it make you feel?’

He closed his eyes and listened as Atsumu played the piece, trying his very darn best to not open them and yell when Atsumu messed up. He listened, and thought about it. What did it make him feel?

Nothing, he felt nothing. 

\------

“Omi? Omi, are you okay?” Sakusa opened his eyes to Atsumu in front of him waving his hands in front of his face. 

He blinks a few times, Atsumu’s worried face becoming clearer to him. “Yeah. Sorry I was just thinking about something.” Sakusa rubs his eyes. 

“About what?” Atsumu asks in a quiet voice. He sits back down on his chair, relaxing. 

Sakusa sighs. “Whatever thing you said. Feelings and crap.” 

Atsumu perks up a little bit, but his voice is still soft and calmer than usual. “Well, did you feel anything?” Sakusa shakes his head. 

“I feel kinda dumb.” He puts his face in his hands for a bit. 

“Yer not.” Atsumu says. They’re both silent for a little bit. Atsumu smiles brightly, he thinks of something. “Let me teach ya!” 

Sakusa looks at him with a disgusted face. “Excuse me?” 

“Oh c’mon. I have to repay you somehow for helpin’ me. I could do it this way.” Atsumu says, pulling him towards the piano. “With your skills, if you just add some feeling, you’ll be the best in the country, I just know it!” 

Sakusa looks at Atsumu, looking at him straight on for, probably the first time ever. He looks at his smile, showing him what keys to press onto the piano. His laugh filling up the whole room when he notices him staring. 

At that moment, Kiyoomi’s world became just a bit brighter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little late today hehe. Hope y'all are having a great day! I hope this isn't too boring :')


	9. What Drove Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What drove Omi to even consider teaching Atsumu

“OMI OMI.” Atsumu was very loud today. Ever since they worked together at Atsumu’s apartment, they began to go there more, rather than just Kiyoomi’s. 

Sakusa sighs. “What do you want now Atsumu.” The boy was all whiny again. It was a rather nice and sunny day. Summer was always enjoyable for Kiyoomi. He liked being outdoors when there weren’t too many people. The fresh air did him good. 

“Have ya heard? There’s a new competition comin’. It’s in Tokyo. It’s supposed to be a big one.” This got Kiyoomi interested. 

“Oh?” He says. He brought some of his stuff to Atsumu’s apartment, feeling a bit more comfortable now. “That sounds interesting.” Atsumu nods, getting settled into the seat next to his piano. 

The blonde points to it. “You start today. I promise I cleaned it before ya came.” Sakusa nods, and takes a seat on the bench. 

It had been about a week since Kiyoomi started getting pointers from Atsumu. He still didn’t necessarily feel anything, but he felt like it was helping. 

“Why did you bring up the competition. Are you going to join?” Sakusa asks the blonde, who sighs and shrugs. 

“I’d probably lose if I did.” Atsumu explains, laughing awkwardly. “I mentioned it because…” He pauses, clearly something was on his mind. 

“Just say it Atsumu, we don’t have all day.” Atsumu sits back on his chair, scratching his head. Kiyoomi could tell he was nervous. 

“The contest….” He starts. The blonde looks towards the floor before he continues. “It’s for duets only…” 

Kiyoomi was taken aback. Duets? Atsumu wanted to play a duet with him? Why?

“What-” Atsumu stood up quickly, cutting Kiyoomi off before he could even think. 

“W-we.. You don’t have to! It was a dumb idea anyways!” Atsumu laughs nervously again. “You.. uh. You should start. I can go get us some water.” 

With that, the blonde dashed over to the kitchen. Sakusa faced the piano. 

‘A Duet?’ He thought.

You see Kiyoomi didn’t hate the idea. He didn’t hate Atsumu wiht every fiber in his body anymore, but why a duet? Sakusa always thought it was better to do things by yourself, like performing in competitions. It showed people more of what you were made of. Having a partner could ruin it. 

When Atsumu came back, Sakusa looked at him as he was setting the cans of soda down on the small coffee table near them. “Why aren’t ya playin’ yet?” He asks, still clearly nervous. 

“Why do you want to play a duet with me?” Sakusa looks at him, arms crossed and eyes stern. 

Atsumu looks up at him, wide eyed. “I.. Well…”

“Oh my gosh, just get it out already, you’ve been like this all day.” Sakusa rolls his eyes. It was starting to get annoying. Atsumu usually just said everything straight away. 

Atsumu took a deep breath in, and drew as much power as he had in him to tell Sakusa. “Omi… I wanna play a duet with you.” 

“And that’s because…?” Atsumu was tapping his foot on the floor, and Sakusa’s patience was quickly running out. 

“Because I just want to?” The blonde shakes his head. “I’m not sure. I saw something about it this morning and I guess I just thought of playing with you.”Atsumu wasn’t even looking at Sakusa anymore, his eyes seemed to be glued to the floor. 

Sakusa sighs. There wasn’t really any reason he couldn’t just do a duet for Atsumu. And if they won, they could split the cash prize. “How much is the prize?” 

“Huh?” Atsumu looks at him dumbfounded. “What do ya mean?” 

Sakusa slaps his forehead. Of course he was this dumb. He should have known. “The prize money for the winners Atsumu.” He pulls out his phone to check himself. 

“You win money for these?!” Atsumu yelled. Now it was Sakusa’s turn to look confused. He couldn’t believe it. 

“You’re so stupid.” Sakusa says. “Of course there is.” 

“Does that mean yer rich rich?!” Atsumu’s eyes gleamed. He never knew he could win money. “We gotta join now!” 

“I’m not rich, and now you’re adamant? What, are you broke or something?” Sakusa rolls his eyes. 

“Well… Not really. But I should make more money.” Atsumu laughs. “What do ya say?” 

Sakusa thought back. The last time he played a duet was with Ushijima back in piano school. He was 12 years old, Ushi was 13. Long story short, it didn’t end very well. Of course they were close friends and that never changed, but Kiyoomi didn’t work that well with people. 

They didn’t even place in the top three. 

“Atsumu.” Sakusa started. He knew it might go all wrong, the fact that he wasn’t good at working with others, he didn’t want to ruin it for Atsumu. 

But there was always that feeling holding him back. The same feeling that made him force himself to hangout and teach Atsumu. The same feeling that made him comfortable enough to come over his house instead of staying at his. His curiosity, you can call it, drove him to Atsumu. To find out why he was so good at piano when he lacked the basics, and how he was able to put emotion into his music. 

What made him stay? 

Atsumu smiles brightly. “We can do it Omi! I just know it. We’ll rule that stage, and we’ll win!” Sakusa looks at him wide eyed. His confidence surprised him, due to the fact that only minutes before he was too shy to even ask Kiyoomi about it. 

Sakusa takes a deep breath in. A jump towards the unknown. 

“Okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates will obviously now slow down! Sorry this took so long and that it is a bit short!
> 
> Hope y'all doing well!


	10. What Made Him Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second half of last chapter lol

Working together on a piece and teaching each other was not as easy as it sounds. First, it took forever for them to even choose a piece they would want to play for the competition. They were all either too hard for Atsumu, or too easy for Kiyoomi. Second was how Sakusa couldn’t help but yell at Atsumu every time he did something wrong while they were playing. His posture was always either too close to Kiyoomi, or too far to even play some of the notes. Third, was the fact that Sakusa still couldn’t understand the feeling. It wasn’t something easy to understand. But Atsumu was surprised. 

How was it that Kiyoomi felt, nothing. Emotions were all around us. It was something we just had in us everyday. 

Sakusa didn’t understand either. Music felt like nothing to him to be honest. The only exception? Atsumu’s performance at the recital. He felt a little bit lighter whenever he heard Atsumu playing piano, aside from their lessons since Kiyoomi always interrupted him. Though, he’d never admit it, he would always pay a little more attention to Atsumu when he was entranced by his music. Not even just then. Kiyoomi often found himself catching glances at Atsumu every now and then. Small looks at lunch when Atsumu bit into his sandwich, glances whenever he would laugh, since his smile always made his world brighter. He can’t remember when it first started, but he knew he didn’t exactly want to stop. 

Atsumu was a nice change of pace to his dull life. Even if he was annoying as heck. He had finally gotten used to Atsumu’s loud voice in the mornings, and late at night. It started to become something he would even wait for. He would wake up in the morning, sipping his green tea, awaiting Atsumu’s loud knock at the door, followed by an, “OMI OMI!” It was simply routine. 

So when the morning came where Atsumu wasn’t screaming his name out the window, Kiyoomi felt a little empty inside. Fine, maybe he was ready to admit he had become slightly attached to the blonde. Where was he? About 20 minutes passed when Sakusa finally sent him a text. 

OMIOMI: Where are you? 

BlondeMiya: Dead, I’m dead Omi Omi!

Sakusa rolled his eyes and texted him back

OMIOMI: Shut up. Just come over soon, we need to practice. 

Atsumu stopped answering a bit after that. Sakusa got impatient quickly. He called him. 

Osamu answered the phone only seconds later. “Is this Sakusa?” he says. 

“Yeah. Isn’t this Atsumu’s phone? This is Osamu right?”

Osamu hums saying yes. “Look. Sorry we couldn’t tell ya this earlier. Tsumu came down with a fever.” 

Kiyoomi scrunches his nose. “Really?” 

‘He seemed fine yesterday.’ 

“Yeah, it’s pretty bad. He can’t even get out of bed. Well, actually maybe he’s just lazy, but I’m sure it’s not considerin’ that means he has to lose the chance to hang out with ya.” A blush forms on Sakusa’s cheek. 

“I’ll tell him to text you when he wakes up. Have a good day.” He hangs up. 

Komori walks in. “Atsumu finally had enough of your scolding?” He sips his coffee. 

“Shut up Komori. He has a fever.” Kiyoomi stands up, and walks towards the piano. He didn’t feel like practicing today. It really didn’t matter since Atsumu wasn’t there to practice too. 

“Maybe you should stop by.” Komori suggests. Sakusa looks at him wide eyed. 

“You’re crazy.” Kiyoomi sneers at his cousin. “He has a fever, Komori.” 

“And? You could go see if he’s alright. Only if you’re comfortable of course. But it’s obvious you want to see him.” Komori left after the suggestion. He got a new job. He cursed his cousin for knowing him so well. 

Sakusa was debating whether or not to go. He cared about Atsumu, at least that was obvious. But the thought of possibly getting sick from being near him scared him. 

‘I could always just wear a mask the whole time and keep my distance.’ 

Kiyoomi sighed. He was already thinking about different ways he could go see him while being safe. 

It was a surprise to Osamu seeing the curly haired boy at their front door, holding some soup he had made in a hurry. “I didn’t think you would come to see him.” Osamu admits. “Tsumu’s in his room. I suggest you keep a mask on, and try to keep your distance. He tends to be rather clingy when he’s sick.” He watched as Osamu put a jacket on, and his anxiety spiked. 

“Where are you going?” Sakusa asked him, tapping his foot nervously on the floor. 

“My restaurant. I took the last two days off because I needed a break.” Osamu sighs, “But I need money for Tsumu and I, so I gotta go back. Thanks for coming over Sakusa.” Osamu waves to him, and walks out the door.

Now Sakusa was stuck with a sick Atsumu alone. He walked into the kitchen and placed the soup into the fridge before hesitantly walking to Atsumu’s room. Which by the way, where the heck was it? 

He never went to Atsumu’s room, only going to the kitchen and living room for practice. He went down the hallway, seeing two doors. One door was plain, nothing really on it. While the door further down had small drawings in the front of it. They weren’t good, Sakusa wouldn’t lie. 

He knocked on the door, assuming it had to be Atsumu’s room. Opening the door, he was met with a coughing Atsumu, rolled up in a blanket on his bed. “I can’t believe you got a fever.” Kiyoomi complains. “We need to practice.” 

Atsumu sighs, but he looks up at Sakusa with wide eyes. “Omi? Is that you?” He was surprised to see the boy in his home. “Why’re ya here?” 

“To see you dummy. What else?” Kiyoomi pulls up a chair next to Atsumu’s bed, but far enough away for him to be comfortable. “How are you feeling?” 

“You should go home!” Atsumu yells, his nose stuffy. Sakusa thought it was cute. 

‘Wait what? No…’

“Omi, you might get sick.” Atsumu pouted. 

Sakusa rolled his eyes. “Hey, if I wasn’t okay with coming, I wouldn’t be here right now. So calm down and just talk to me.” 

Atsumu huffed, and crossed his arms. But then he smirks, looking straight at Sakusa. “Wow! Omi Omi has really warmed up to me now hasn’t he?” He smiled proudly. 

“Yeah whatever. I was gonna leave, but Osamu said he needed to get back to the restaurant…” Atsumu’s smile falls off his face, forming into a frown. “What?” Kiyoomi says. 

“Osamu works a lot for me don’t ya think?” His face was different from before. Filled with obvious guilt. 

“That’s true.” Sakusa says. “He’s the one who pays for the rent right?” Atsumu nods and looks down. 

“He also pays for the food, and anythin’ else we need.” Atsumu sighs, but he looks up to the ceiling. “I’m gonna get good. Get so good at piano, then I’ll make money to help Samu so he can relax.” 

Sakusa smiles. 

“Yeah. But you need to get better first.” Sakusa hits his head. 

“OW! Omi, you’re so mean!” Atsumu whines. “I’m sick, people get sick all the time!” 

“Well if you were careful, then you wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place.” Sakusa sighs. He sits back in the chair, crossing his arms. 

The two sit in silence, surprisingly comfortable with the fact that neither of them were talking. Usually Sakusa would be freaking out, thinking of things to say, but he felt there was no need to say anything. 

Atsumu looks at him. “Can you maybe… Play for me Omi?” His eyes are wide, obviously trying his best to persuade the curly haired man. Sakusa smiles from under his mask. 

“Fine. But you need to rest after, alright?” Atsumu nods, smiling widely. He throws his blanket off his body, and putting on some slippers, he runs to the door and opens it. 

By the time Sakusa makes his way out there, he sees the blonde laying on a couch near the instrument, wrapped in a blanket, a mask on his face. “I thought you’d be more comfortable if I had a mask on Omi.” He says. Sakusa can’t help but admit that the blonde was the least bit cute. His red flushed cheeks, eyes glossy from the lack of sleep, but his face cured into a bright smile nonetheless. 

Sakusa sits down by the piano. “There something you wanted me to specifically play?” 

Atsumu shrugs. “Anythin’ ya want Omi Omi. Just somethin’.” Atsumu relaxes into his position. 

Sakusa looks at the piano. He stares at his hands for a moment before knowing exactly what to play. 

Waltz no. 9 in A Flat, op 69. Atsumu’s favorite. 

He takes a deep breath in, and then exhales loudly before placing his hands on the keys. 

Atsumu hears rhe first few notes before nodding approvingly, and closing his eyes. He becomes lost in Kiyoomi’s music. 

By the time Sakusa is done, he looks at the sleeping blonde, snoring away on the couch. He walks towards him, brushing a few strands of blonde hair straying away on his face. It was almost impossible to look at least decent when sleeping, and even with the drool Sakusa could see through the mask, he truly thought Atsumu was simply adorable. And no, he wasn’t scared to admit it this time. 

He sits next to the sleeping blonde, watching as he breathes in and out, his chest rising and falling ever so peacefully. He begins to understand what made him stay. Why he even continued being Atsumu’s teacher, through all the arguments and annoying stories about random things. 

Looking at Atsumu, smiling in his sleep about something he was dreaming about, a blush rises to Kiyoomi’s cheek, and he realizes what made him stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be a double update, but I fell asleep lol. Follow my twitter! I'll be posting random writing from this story. Like on the side stuff :)  
> But only if you want to ofc!  
> Hope everyone has a great day!


	11. Guilt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Burnt fried rice.

In the next few days, Atsumu recovered from his fever quickly. Though he couldn’t get over Osamu’s reaction to Sakusa playing piano for him when he was asleep. 

“Yer in love aren’t ya?” Osamu’s eyes were bright and he had the biggest smirk on his face. Atsumu sighs looking at his brother. 

“Shut yer trap Samu. It’s not like that.” Atsumu was lying through his teeth. Well of course it was like that. Could you blame him? Sakusa was the cutest thing to Atsumu. The way he would cover his face anytime he got flustered even though he had a mask on, the little fumbling of his fingers when he messed up a note on the piano. All of it was adorable. 

“Nah Tsumu. Yer just denyin’ it at this point.” Osamu crosses his arms, a spatula in his hands as usual. He was cooking lunch for the two. 

Atsumu huffs at his twin. Well it was obvious that he did feel butterflies in his stomach whenever he was with Kiyoomi, he would admit it to himself, but never to his brother. He knew that if he did, Samu would tease him for the rest of his days. 

Other than the usual laughs and teasing from his twin, there was something unusually off about the man. He was slouching by the stove, his eyes didn’t seem to sparkle like they usually did when he was cooking. He was also very pale. 

“Samu. How long were you working yesterday?” Osamu shrugs at the question, not even turning from the stove to looka this brother. 

“Usual hours. Though this couple wanted me to make them a quick meal around closin’ time, so I couldn’t say no. They looked starvin’.” The fried rice Osamu was making on the pan was almost done, Osamu knew it, but he kept cooking. 

“Ya look exhausted. Take a break today.” Atsumu suggests. 

Osamu sighs in defeat. “I wish it were that easy. I had to fire someone again yesterday cause there isn’t enough money comin’ in.” The man continues to shuffle the rice in the pan. He sighs quietly, “He was a good one too. I wish I could’ve at least kept him.” 

An alarm goes off. He lost track of time. “Crap.” Osamu says under his breath. He quickly takes off his apron, and runs to the door, fumbling to slip his jacket on. “I’m late for work. I’ll see ya later Tsumu, I’m sorry.” 

He was genuinely apologetic. Osamu never seemed to mind the fact that Atsumu clearly didn’t have a job, his life revolving around playing the giant instrument sitting in their apartment. But for Atsumu, that was almost all he thought about, aside from a particular curly haired man. 

The guilt rose in him every now and then, knowing Osamu has been working his butt off to let the two live somewhat comfortably in their apartment. And everytime Atsumu mentioned finding a job Osamu always said the same thing. 

“You don’t need to Atsumu.” A smile always plastered on his face. “You should focus on piano. It’s okay.” He rarely ever admitted it, but Osamu did care a lot about Atsumu, and vise versa. It was more of showing rather than saying anything in words, like when Osamu first bought Atsumu his grand piano, or when Atsumu designed a new menu for Osamu. 

Atsumu knew when Osamu was pushing himself. He knew he needed to try harder to make some money off of piano, before Osamu lost it. He wanted his brother to enjoy life too. 

He decided to text Kiyoomi. 

BlondeMiya: OMI OMIII

OMIOMI: Yes Atsumu?

The blonde was very surprised by the man’s quick answer. Sakusa tended to ignore Atsumu whenever he texted him, so this was a bit new. 

BlondeMiya: We should practice today!  
BlondeMiya: I’m feeling a whole lot better!

Sakusa smiles at his phone, almost hearing the blonde’s fresh and bright tone. 

OMIOMI: Alright. My house or yours?

Atsumu could get used to Kiyoomi’s nice tone. He liked it. 

BlondeMiya: either works. We both got a piano :)  
BlondeMiya: maybe over here?

OMIOMI: yeah that’s fine with me.

BlondeMiya: Okay! See you soon!

Atsumu ran to the bathroom after dropping his phone on the table. He fixes his hair a bit, trying to make it look neater. Maybe Kiyoomi liked organized guys? He began to run around the apartment, tidying up whatever he could.

He thought it was silly, the fact that he was putting in so much effort for a man who didn’t always like his company. But little did he know, Kiyoomi was exactly the same. The curly haired boy noticed how he took a little bit longer checking himself in the mirror this morning, and how long it took him to find an outfit to wear. 

Finally making it to Atsumu’s apartment after about 20 outfit changes that afternoon, the door opens to a brightly smiling blonde, who was breathing a little hard. He seemed tired. “OMI!” He yells. Maybe not that tired. “Ya made it!” The blonde moves aside, making room for the man to come in. 

“Atsumu. I literally live like ten minutes away. Calm down.” But Atsumu was not calm. It had been a few days since he last saw Kiyoomi, and he was literally jumping up and down to finally see him. 

“Yeah, but I missed seeing your dumb scowl Omi! Did you miss me too?” Atsumu frowns, coming a bit closer to Sakusa. 

He didn’t back away. “My days did seem a bit quieter without seeing you everyday.” Sakusa claims. He scrunches his nose, and points towards the kitchen. “What’s that?” 

Atsumu looks at him with confused eyes, and turns towards the kitchen, smelling something weird. The blond runs in quickly, the other following behind him. He’s met with the fried rice, completely burnt sitting on the pan on the stove.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any grammatical errors! Hope everyone is doing well!
> 
> (I was planning on posting this tomorrow, but I happened to finish three chapters today, so here we are :D)


	12. Do It Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Change was not something he was used to, and it wasn’t even something he particularly liked. But when it came to the blonde, things seemed to make sense.

Atsumu was lost. Kiyoomi hadn’t really seemed to make any improvement in the sound of his music, and even though they had finally learned the whole piece and were able to get through it without Atsumu messing up too bad, the sound was still not up to par as to what Atsumu usually plays. But the blonde was confused. Couldn’t he do it before? 

“Hey.” Atsumu starts. Kiyoomi was looking down at his hands. “Are ya alright?” Sakusa then looks up to the blonde. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Why?” Atsumu wasn’t sure why, but he could tell he was lying. Maybe it was the small look of concern on his face, or maybe it was the sound of his playing, but he knew that there was something wrong. 

“Don’t lie to me Omi!” Atsumu stands up quickly. Sakusa looks at him. He was simply glowing to Kiyoomi. The light reflected off the boy, his blonde locks becoming more of a bright yellow. Like the sun. “I see it all over your face! You can tell me Omi! We’re the best of friends now.” He smiles widely at Sakusa. 

A blush rose to his face, Kiyoomi wasn’t used to affection from, well... anyone. Atsumu, his best friend. “The sound is still mediocre.” 

Atsumu scoffs. “Don’t be so hard on yourself Omi! You’ve been workin’ real hard. And besides. You’ve played before where it sounded amazing. It’s just a matter of doing it again.” Sakusa whipped his head towards the boy. 

“I did?” He didn’t recall this. 

“Yeah, when I was sick.” Sakusa gives him a confused face, and Atsumu frowns. “You already forgot?” 

He throws up his hands. “I didn’t even know!” Sakusa exclaims, “Are you sure it was me. Maybe you were delirious with fever.” 

“Omi, yer my only piano buddy. Whenever I make Samu press some keys on the piano, he makes it sound horrible. And I think I’d remember you coming to visit me when I was sick Omi.” Atsumu cutely crosses his arms, while a blush rises to Sakusa’s face. 

“I have no idea what you’re referring to.” The man closes his eyes, hoping Atsumu wouldn’t press further. 

“Yeah yeah, alright Omi. Have it your way.” The blonde laughs, and Sakusa’s life becomes just a little bit brighter. 

“Okay but seriously, I need to fix this Atsumu. The competition is at the end of the week.” This was true. The week of the competition had finally come to them, and Sakusa was very anxious. Fine, maybe they did learn everything and were able to play it decently, but Sakusa felt like he hadn’t really improved in anything at all. 

“Well what were you thinkin’ about when you played for me?” Atsumu asks. 

‘You’ Kiyoomi thought. But there was no way he would actually say that out loud. 

“I’m… not sure.” He was lying straight through his teeth. And Atsumu knew, he wasn’t even looking at him. Sakusa wasn’t the best liar. But the blonde didn’t want to press further. 

“Well, then maybe think about it. Try and remember what was different that day that made the sound, well… beautiful.” Atsumu explains. He stands up and makes his way to the kitchen. 

“Was it?” Sakusa says shyly. “Was it beautiful?” 

Atsumu turns to the man, he puts a smile on his face. The room becomes brighter. “It was. I slept really well after.” He puts his hands on his hips and stands proudly. “You can practice by yourself for now if you want. I’ll start making dinner.” 

Sakusa nods, turning to the piano, staring at the keys. He had been playing the instrument for so long. The keys were like his home, a very familiar habitat for him, but slowly, it was becoming something different. Something new. Typically, when something new happened to Kiyoomi, he would almost lose it. Change was not something he was used to, and it wasn’t even something he particularly liked. But when it came to the blonde, things seemed to make sense. 

So as Kiyoomi peered over to look at the blonde, his back facing him, making some sandwiches for the two of them, he placed his hands on the keys. 

He breathes in and breathes out, and looking at Atsumu’s bright blonde hair, remembering his mornings spent with him, he begins to play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are y'all doing? The semester is ending tomorrow and I'm kinda stressed, though writing is helping ease the pain. Hope you're all doing well!
> 
> (Next chapter will be longer than this one I swear :0)


	13. Holding His Hand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiyoomi was smiling. A genuine smile too. A sight that he rarely ever saw.

Osamu was fuming that morning. “I can’t believe him.” He was shuffling the rice in the pan aggressively, almost stabbing each grain with his chopsticks. 

“What happened now.” It was the morning of the competition, and Osamu was making a nice breakfast for the two.

“Suna canclled our plans today! It’s the third time this month. I finally, actually get a day off to see yer competition, and he says he ‘isn’t feeling good’. Like what?” 

“Well maybe he isn’t feeling good?” Osamu was rarely ever this angry. Small annoyances sure, but he never saw him mad while cooking. It was different. 

“Yeah Yeah sure. He hasn’t been ‘feelin’ good’ for the past month then? He could at least come up with different excuses.” Osamu drops his chopsticks, anger fueling through him. He sighs loudly. 

“Damn. M’sorry Samu.” Atsumu says to his brother.

“Maybe he isn’t interested in me.” Osamu says, picking up his chopsticks and continuing to cook, his tone now a bit quieter. 

“Don’t say that Samu.” Atsumu whines. “He’s head over heels for ya.” 

“Well I’m not sure someone who’s interested in me would find any way possible to avoid hangin’ out with me at all costs.” Osamu scoffed. “Ain’t feelin’ well my ass.” 

The two are quiet for the rest of the morning. 

The feeling at Sakusa’s house wasn’t much better. The second the curly haired man woke up, he had the feeling that he wanted to throw up. Throw up what? He barely ate the day before, and almost ate nothing that morning. He was nervous as heck. He felt like this heart was going to push out of his chest. His anxiety was never usually this bad, even at high rated competitons, he felt more at ease than he was that morning. 

“You look like trash.” Komori says. “Not sleep well?” Sakusa shakes his head. 

“I’m just anxious. I don’t know why, we aren’t even at the auditorium yet.” Sakusa’s breathing was starting to pick up. He was slowly losing it, he could even feel his heart rate rising. 

Komori threw a jacket at him. “C’mon. Let’s go see Atsumu.” 

Sakusa agrees, and slips on his jacket, running to the car. 

The two first see each other backstage of the competition. Sakusa’s thrilled, and almost passes out seeing Atsumu in a suit. 

And if you think that’s bad, then look at Atsumu. Most literally drooling, Osamu had to whack him in the back of the head before people could ask questions. 

“Omi!” Atsumu exclaims. He runs towards his friend, who’s shyly waving to him a few feet away. 

“Hey Atsumu.” Kiyoomi is quiet, trying to contain his anxiety. It wasn’t working too well though. Maybe Sakusa wasn’t good at hiding it, or Atsumu just knew him too well, or maybe it was the way his hands were shaking as Atsumu took a hold of it, but he knew something was wrong. 

“Hey.” He says to Sakusa, the man looks up after constantly staring at the floor. “It’s gonna be alright.” 

Now there were many things going on in Kiyoomi’s head at the time. The large crowd of people he saw in front of the auditorium before coming inside, the strange stares he seemed to be getting from people, which he wasn’t sure if he was imagining it or not, and the fact that he felt like he was going to cry and throw up at the same time. 

But as soon as he looked up, his eyes meeting the blonde’s, the once noisy and crowded auditorium became almost silent to Kiyoomi’s ears. The people were still there, and the noise wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, but all Sakusa could see and hear, was the smiling blonde boy in front of him. 

“We’re gonna do great today. Ya don’t need to worry!” Atsumu says. He squeezes the boy’s hand. “If yer ever worried, just know I’m here. I know yer not a big fan of physical contact and what not, but you can always hold my hand.Whenever ya need.”

That’s when it hit Kiyoomi. Atsumu was holding his hand. 

Atsumu.Was. Holding. His. Hand. 

And Kiyoomi wan’t freaking out because of it. In fact, his heart rate began to go down by the touch of the blonde boy. He looked at Atsumu’s eyes, they were glowing. Sakusa wasn’t sure what he was thinking now. Was he even thinking at this point? Who knows. All he really could pick up was the giant smile Atsumu gave him. 

He quickly retracted his hand and turned a bit away, a blush rising on his face. “I’m fine now.” 

“Of course ya are now! Now that I’m here with ya!” Atsumu smiles dumbly, peering at Sakusa’s face turning a shade of pink. 

‘This is cute. Very cute.’ 

“Ya gettin’ shy Omi?” Atsumu asks. “Did I make ya all flustered? Ya do like my presence don’t ya?” The blonde proudly put his hands on his hips and looked at the other defiantly. Sakusa refused to look back at him. He had taken off his mask to see Atsumu, and he was already regretting taking off his shield. It was really the only thing that hid the constant blush on Kiyoomi’s face whenever he was with Atsumu. 

“Whatever Atsumu. We need to get ready.” Sakusa says, starting to walk off and find somewhere to sit down. 

“Alright, good luck you two. Osamu and I will find a place to sit down in the audience. You’ll do great!” Komori waves at Atsumu, who was quickly running to Kiyoomi who had left without him. 

“Thanks! Omi! Wait up!” Osamu smiles warmly at his brother, and walks with Komori to the seats of the audience. 

“How are you Osamu?” Komori asks the gray haired twin. Osamu shrugs, and sits down. 

“Could be better.” Osamu says. “The restaurant isn’t getting a lot of customers, so money ain’t really coming in. And at the same time, it’s a bit busy too.” He laughs, “But I think it’ll be okay.” 

Komori smiles at him. “I’m sure it will be. You’re an amazing cook. Kiyo brought home an extra sandwich and gave it to me one day.” 

Osamu laughs softly. “Thanks Komori. Though I wish Sakusa would eat something else. It seems like those sandwiches are all he eats.” 

“That’s true. But it’s not because he’s picky. He just seems to like routine.” Komori explains. “He doesn’t like things to be different.” 

Osamu hums in agreement. “It seems so.”

\------

Sakusa liked to go over the piece in his head. He usually found someplace where he could place his fingers and go through the music at least once, but seeing as this was his first time doing a duet in a while, he wasn’t sure how much it would even help. 

“Omi!” Atsumu whispers to the man. Sakusa turns to him. “Doesn’t that boy look familiar?” 

Sakusa turns to see where the blonde was pointing. There was a boy talking to a taller man next to him. The third place competitor at the last competition. 

“Kageyama! Why are you always so mean! I’m just nervous. Everyone gets nervous.” His orange hair was swaying softly on his forehead as the boy pouted and crossed his arms at the other boy. 

“There’s no need to be nervous. We’re gonna win.” The taller boy says. 

Hinata Shoyo. 

Of course he was at another competition with Kiyoomi. If his anxiety wasn’t bad before, it was absolutely terrible now. 

“Wasn’t he good Omi? I wonder how he’ll do in his duet.” Atsumu was looking at the orange haired boy, intrigue filling his eyes, and Kiyoomi couldn’t help but feel a bit hurt. He wanted Atsumu to look at him. 

So when the announcer had begun the competition, the contestants getting ready to play, Kiyoomi slipped his hand into Atsumu’s, trying his best to avoid his face. 

Which was a good idea, since Kiyoomi would probably get shy at the sight of the stars in Atsumu’s eyes. Atsumu was glad too. He could feel how red he was the second he felt Kiyoomi’s hand on his. All he wanted to do was jump up and yell “yeah!” but of course he didn’t. Sakusa would stop holding his hand then. 

They held hands until it was their turn. 

Sakusa felt surprisingly calm. He was waiting for his heart rate to pick up again when he sat down at the bench, or maybe even when they faced the audience. Looking at Atsumu, definitely helped. He seemed to always have a smile on his face. 

Sitting down in front of the piano, Sakusa started to get feelings of nostalgia. He has been a pianist ever since elementary school. Sitting in front of a piano was like home to him, even more familiar than even his own apartment. 

He looks to the right, the audience staring at them, Komori and Osamu sending small waves their way. He looks to his left, Atsumu breathing steadily. The blonde turns to Kiyoomi, and smiles softly. He whispers something, but Sakusa can’t make out what he says. 

He turns to the piano, and placing his hands on the keys, Sakusa imagines his afternoons and nights spent with Atsumu at their apartments, how his life slowly becomes just a bit brighter. 

Mozart - Sonata for Piano 4 Hands KV 521

It was a bit more upbeat and lighthearted than the pieces Kiyoomi usually did, but he did find himself enjoying his time playing it with Atsumu. 

Taking a deep breath, they begin. 

It was as if they were in a whole new world. As soon as Sakusa and Atsumu played the first note, he could feel his hands dancing around the keys. They were lost in their music But at the same time, they weren’t. Kiyoomi could hear every note, feel every emotion flowing through him. The sound, he noticed the sound. It was different. He was playing with sincerity, and without seeing his face, he knew Atsumu was grinning ear to ear. So was Kiyoomi. He smiled brightly at the keys as his hands were basically moving on his own. He was having fun. Dancing around the keys, his hands next to Atsumu’s, lightly brushing each other whenever their notes were close together. 

It was a bit childish, but Atsumu felt little sparks whenever his hand seemd to brush onto Kiyoomi’s, even if it was just for a second. Atsumu was blushing, and this time it wasn’t just because of the rather attractive duet partner he had, but also because of his music. Ever since the first note was played, Atsumu’s world had burst into color. He could see every fine detail of the auditorium. The lights above them, and their different colors. The way the audience were hooked onto their music. And the intense emotion and passion coming from the man next to him. He took a small glance at his partner and almost immediately lost it. 

Kiyoomi was smiling. A genuine smile too. A sight that he rarely ever saw. 

So, he let it go. They danced around the keys and had an awfully good time, their music engulfed the entire room, bringing them to their scene. An apartment, piano sitting right next to the kitchen, waiting for the two of them to play it, the smell of sandwiches surrounding the room. 

They continue like this. Smiling and playing their heart out, and for a while Kiyoomi feels hopeful. The curly haired man feels at the top of the world. 

And then…

Sakusa messes up. 

It was a small slip up, not enough to ruin the entire piece, but Kiyoomi knows that it was enough for the judges to notice. Maybe even the audience. 

Atsumu knows by the sudden change in Sakusa’s playing that something was wrong. He knew the other had messed up, but it wasn’t as bad as he thought it was. Atsumu glances at him again, hoping Kiyoomi would look. 

He does, and the blonde sends the man a small, reassuring smile. 

And Kiyoomi thinks at that moment…

Maybe everything will be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning everyone now that the story is a lot longer than this :)  
> Just wanted to cover that, considering they did a duet in this chapter, and that's the title...
> 
> idk it that was confusing lol. 
> 
> Anyways, hope everyone is doing well!  
> I kept saying updates every Sunday and I keep updating almost everyday 😂  
> Hope that's alright :')
> 
> Have a good rest of your day!


	14. Why He Plays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Did ya have fun Omi?”

Skipping out of the auditorium, Atsumu is once again holding Sakusa’s hand. The latter, not really saying much after the competition had concluded. 

Laid out, they placed fourth overall. Not a ranking to win them any money.

Hinata and Kageyama? They placed second. 

Sakusa wasn’t particularly upset or happy about the results. He felt numb. He didn’t feel like crying, but he didn’t feel like celebrating. 

Atsumu on the other hand was losing his mind. He was on cloud nine, a smile stuck on his face. 

“You two did amazing!” Komori says. Osamu was trailing behind him, and nodded in agreement. 

“I don’t think I’ve seen ya play something as hard as that Tsumu.” Osamu says. Atsumu puts his hands on his hips defiantly. 

“It was great! I know it. We did amazing Omi!” Sakusa looks at the blonde and quietly nods, missing the warmth of Atsumu’s hand. 

“How about we go out to celebrate? My treat.” Komori suggests. 

“Aw yeah! Free food?” Atsumu follows Komori and his brother with his hands in the air. 

Sakusa trails behind them. 

No, Sakusa wasn’t happy at all, but if there were one thing that was different. He noticed his heart felt a little bit lighter. 

\------

It was a restaurant. Since Komori offered everyone food, Sakusa assumed that he’d be feeding all of them his usual lunch sandwich. So when Komori drove them all to a new restaurant he had never been to before, he was sort of shocked. 

“Komori-” The man cut him off before he could continue. 

“I thought this new restaurant would be okay. You should try to eat something else once and awhile.” Komori says quietly to his cousin. Sakusa sighs as Komori walks ahead to go with Osamu, but he smiles a bit when Atsumu appears next to him. 

“We’re already going on dates Omi? You flatter me.” Nevermind, Kiyoomi’s smile fell. His face now turned into a scowl. 

“Oh shut it Atsumu.” Sakusa scoffed. “You really are living in your own little world if you think that this is a good excuse for a date.”

Atsumu laughs loudly. The group found a table and sat down, well not without Sakusa cleaning the chair he was going to sit on. A few people stared, but Sakusa was used to this now, so did it really matter? Though he did find it a bit cute when he saw Atsumu sending them back glares. 

“You don’t have to do that Atsumu.” Sakusa whispers to the blonde as they sit down. Atsumu looks at him with innocent eyes. 

“I have no idea what yer talkin’ about.” Atsumu looks away from him, a small smile on his face. 

Osamu and Komori watched as the two were whispering and laughing at each other. Osamu smiled warmly, happy that his brother found someone he could be happy with. Komori was the same. Kiyoomi hated being with people, but he noticed how different Kiyoomi was when he was with Atsumu. 

“What’re ya gonna order Omi?” Atsumu asks the other. Kiyoomi looked at the menu and shrugged. 

“I don’t know.” Kiyoomi didn’t eat out much, so he wasn’t sure what was good and what wasn’t. 

“I can choose for ya if ya want?” Atsumu suggests. “Samu and I used to come here a lot when we first moved here.” Sakusa’s head whipped towards him. 

“You didn’t grow up here?” Sakusa asks. 

“Huh? Nah. Samu and I moved here a few years ago.” The blonde looked back at the menu. “You could get one of their soups. I’ve tried them all, and they're all pretty solid.” 

Sakusa had thought the twins grew up there. There was no particular reason why, but he had just assumed. 

“Why did you two move here?” Sakusa asks the two. Osamu doesn’t look up from his menu, waiting for the blonde to answer instead. 

“Yer the one askin’ me all the questions today huh?” Sakusa blushes slightly. This was true, Atsumu was usually the one who bombarded the other with questions. “We just moved for… new scenery I guess. There wasn’t a specific reason why, other than Samu opening his restaurant here.” In a way, Atsumu was telling the truth, but it was apparent to Sakusa that there was some tension in Atsumu around the subject, but he decided not to press further until later. 

“Maybe I’ll get a soup.” Sakusa says. He wasn’t much of a soup person, but if he was being honest he wasn’t really an anything person. There wasn’t much variance in his life, being too afraid of any big change. But if Atsumu said it was good, he might as well believe him. 

He ended up getting a random soup. 

“Miso. It was my favorite out of all the ones we tried.” Atsumu says. The blond had gotten curry with rice, almost the exact same order as his twin brother, who had gotten the same thing along with another order. 

Sakusa looked at his soup. He couldn’t lie, it smelled really good. But he couldn’t seem to bring himself to pick up the spoon. 

Atsumu eyed the man sitting next to him. “You should try it Omi.” He smiles, as the man looks up to him. “And if ya don’t like it you can share with me.” 

Sakusa was scared that a blush was going to rise to his cheeks again. He picks up his spoon, and tries a small amount of the soup. 

It was good. Kiyoomi thought it was good. Not even, he thought it was amazing. Frick afternoon sandwiches, maybe soup for every lunchtime from now on!

Atsumu smiled watching as Kiyoomi scarfed down his lunch, it finally being something that was not his damn sandwich. “Ya like it Omi?” Sakusa picks his head up from his bowl and nods shyly at the blonde. Komori smiles too, happy Sakusa ate something different. 

“You guys should come to the restaurant someday. I can whip up somethin’ great!” Osamu exclaims. The group laughs, they agree. 

Throughout the lunch, Atsumu continued to eye the curly haired man. He knew Kiyoomi was not happy about the performance. I mean, they didn’t place, and Sakusa had messed up. He knew, he just knew he wasn’t happy about it. But with him laughing as the group conversed at the table, he wasn’t sure that he was really upset either. 

Leaving the restaurant, the group decide to hang out at the twin’s house for the rest of the day, having no other plans. Komori welcomed himself inside, and flopped on the twin’s couch as soon as he got in. “Imma take a nap guys.” Komori says. 

“Me too.” Osamu says. “The restaurant is closed today, so I want to catch up on my sleep.” He smiles at Sakusa and his brother, and walks into his room, closing the door behind him. 

Sakusa followed Atsumu towards their living room, he eyes the oh so familiar piano they had practiced with for so long. Atsumu sits by it, feeling the urge to play again. 

“Again?” Sakusa asks. 

“Of course.” Atsumu says. “I could probably play forever.” Sakusa sighs at the blonde. 

“How,” Atsumu starts, a bit scared to go on. “How do ya think we did today?” 

Sakusa didn’t say anything at first. He wasn’t completely convinced that they did well. “Not really.” Atsumu looks at Sakusa, the man looking himself towards the floor. 

“I thought we did great.” Atsumu says. He sits back comfortably on his piano bench, lifting his head to look at the lights above. They weren’t as nice as the ones at the auditorium. 

Sakusa scoffs. “I screwed up Atsumu.” He laughs a little bit, “I screwed our chance of placing. And I even finally made the sound… something.” He throws his hands in front of him. Maybe Sakusa was upset, but he didn’t like showing it. 

“Maybe you screwed up. So what? I screw up all the time.” Atsumu says. “And here I am. Still playing.” 

Sakusa puts his face in his hands. He could feel his eyes stinging, tears threatening to run down his face. He laughs. 

“It’s okay Omi.” Atsumu says. “You’ll have other chances.” The blonde is now looking at Kiyoomi, watching him grovel in the seat he’s in. He stands up, and finds a place to sit next to the other. Sakusa doesn’t budge, his hands seeming to be stuck to his face. “I think ya did amazing Omi.” 

“Shut up Atsumu.” Sakusa says quietly. It comes out like almost a whimper, his tears barely coming up. “You know I did bad, don’t lie.” 

Atsumu smiles at the man, “I’m not lyin’cause ya didn’t do bad at all. Ya did amazing, and I’m sure everyone in the audience thought so too.” 

Sakusa refused to say anything. He felt the tears now quickly rushing out of his eyes. Trying to quickly get rid of them, he heaved once, and wiped his face with the sleeves of his jacket. Though, the tears wouldn’t stop coming. “I’m sorry Atsumu.” he manages to break out. The blonde was staring at him with worried eyes, his hand now on Kiyoomi’s back to rub it. “I’m sorry.” he repeats. He’s sniffling, and wiping harder, trying his best to stop the tears. It wasn’t working too well. 

“About what Omi?” Atsumu says. “There’s nothing for you to be sorry about.” 

“No, you” Sakusa was practically sobbing at this point. “You wanted to win the money. For your brother. I screwed it up for you. You worked hard for this and I screwed it up.” 

‘Oh’ Atsumu understood now. “Omi…”

“I’m sorry Atsumu. You tried so hard to help me, and your brother, and I ended up messing up both. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” 

“Omi…” Sakusa had stopped listening to the blonde, murmuring the same phrase over and over again. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” 

Atsumu had enough. He grabbed Kiyoomi’s hands, and with his head held high he looked at him right in the eyes, drawing closer to him, closer than he had ever been before. 

“Sakusa Kiyoomi.” Atsumu says. Tears were still running down his face as he looked at Atsumu. “Do not be sorry.” he says sternly. “None of this is your fault Kiyoomi.” 

Sakusa liked the way his namae rolled off of Atsumu’s tongue. He had gotten used to the nickname, so hearing Kiyoomi from him was new. “But…”

“Shut up Kiyoomi.” Atsumu shakes his head. “Omi Omi. When I played on that stage with you, I had never felt more alive.” Atsumu smiles warmly. “It felt… amazing. Omi, I don’t regret anything.”

“But the money-” Atsumu cut him off. 

“Who cares. People who play piano for money don’t deserve to touch the instrument Omi.” Atsumu says. “Why do we play the piano? Why do ya play the piano? There’s gotta be a reason. And I know there’s a reason Omi.The way you played this morning, it was obvious. Written all over your performance!” 

Sakusa looks at him, confused as ever. 

“Fine. For example: I play to express my emotions. Whenever I’m happy or sad, or mad or anythin’, I’m always at the piano.” 

Sakusa could imagine the blonde banging at the keys when he was angry. He giggled a bit. 

“Did ya have fun Omi?” Sakusa thought back. His hands still remembered how they danced on the keys just that morning. He nods. 

“What I’m tryin’ to tell ya is, it doesn’t matter Omi. Even if it was your fault we didn’t place, does it matter? I didn’t walk up on that stage with ya to win some money.” Sakusa looks at the blonde now, he didn’t realize he had stopped crying. Atsumu touches his cheek gently. 

“I went on that stage with ya, to play with ya. To live in the best moment I know, and share my music and joy with you, Kiyoomi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Hope everyone reading this is having a good day :D  
> As much as this is a story about music, love is a big theme here. I will be going into it more in the next chapters. Sakusa has much more to learn in music and emotion, and so does Atsumu, so of course it doesn't end here, but I just wanted to mention that.   
> I really can't wait to post what happens next hehe.   
> Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, and thank you for reading!


	15. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That’s not true either. Proceed with the plan.”

Miya Atsumu was an abomination. No joke. Sakusa couldn’t stop thinking about him. What right did the blonde have to be stuck in Kiyoomi’s head all day? Most literally the next morning after the competition, Sakusa woke up wondering what the blonde was eating for breakfast. 

“He seems to like bagels, don't you think Komori? Yeah, that’s probably what he’s eating.” Komori was looking at him as if he had three heads. 

“You feeling alright Kiyo?” He smiled at his cousin, but then he gasped in realization. “You’re falling for him aren’t you?” Komori puts his hands on his cheeks and smiles brightly. 

Sakusa rolls his eyes. Crossing his arms, he grabs a bagel and puts it in the toaster. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

“Kiyo. You’re putting a bagel in the toaster. You never eat bagels.” Komori explains. 

“I don’t?” Sakusa was dumbfounded. Why hadn’t he before? There wasn’t anything wrong with bagels. 

“You dummy. You only ever drink green tea in the morning.” Komori says. “You didn’t even grab your cup this morning.” He points to the sink, his signature tea mug sitting in there, clean but untouched. 

‘Huh’ Kiyoomi thought. “Guess I’m not really feeling the tea today.” 

His cousin was shocked, but he was definitely happy. “You seeing blondy today?” He asks, but Sakusa shrugs, taking his bagel out of the toaster. 

“He didn’t mention anything about it yesterday. Hey, what do people eat with bagels?” Sakusa held the bagel with two fingers, it was too hot. 

“You’re so hopeless sometimes Kiyo. There’s cream cheese in the fridge, or sometimes I eat it with peanut butter.” Sakusa wasn’t much of a peanut butter guy. He went to the fridge for the cream cheese. 

“Maybe we should go and see him? I was thinking of stopping by Osamu’s restaurant. He said he was opening it today.” Komori suggests. 

Sakusa’s eyes lit up. He was very interested in going. He nodded, and dipping his bagel in the cream cheese container, he ran to go get some clothes ready. 

“Kiyo! You’re supposed to spread the cream cheese on the bagel! Don’t dip it1 I-” Komori sighs in defeat, and follows him to get ready as well. 

\------

Osamu was quiet that morning. 

“I’ll come with ya to work today.” Atsumu says. “I’ll help ya out.” 

Osamu smiles warmly at his brother. “Thanks Tsumu. But I don’t know about customers being greeted by someone with a face as ugly as yers.” 

“Samu we’re twins!” Tsumu exclaims, but his brother simply laughs. 

“Yeah we are, but somehow yer a lot uglier than me!” 

“Aw shut it Samu. Ya know what? I’ll just come to bother ya instead.” Osamu laughs at him, knowing he was just joking. He was grateful for the help. 

“Thanks.” Osamu says. He gives his brother a plate of fried rice. “Breakfast is ready.” 

“Thanks Samu.” 

Atsumu was glad he got Osamu to smile this morning. He typically woke up to Osamu smiling at his brother, giving him snarky remarks like ‘ya always wake up so late ya lazy bum’, or ‘gosh do ya always look like that in the mornin’ Tsumu? I feel bad for ya future lover’. So walking into the kitchen that morning, his twin brother’s back facing him, and completely silent, Atsumu knew there was something wrong. 

Maybe he was just tired. 

Yeah. Tired. 

Atsumu hadn’t been to the restaurant in a while, his time spent getting better at the piano. It was relatively the same as it was when Osamu first opened, other than the peeling paint, and the obviously old sign in the front. “I think I need a new open sign. Maybe I could get one with lights. Those are pretty fancy.” Osamu says. “But for now this one will have to do.” He turns the closed sign to open on the front door. “If ya really wanna help out, then put on one of the aprons in the back.” 

Atsumu nodded and followed his brother. Slipping on the apron, he made his way back to the front, and waited for customers. 

An hour in, one person had only come to the restaurant. 

“Is it always… this slow?” Atsumu asks his brother. Osamu shrugs, he was sitting behind a counter, where the kitchen was. 

“Not really. A few people would have come in by now if this wasn’t a weekday.” Osamu explains. “It’s a lot busier on the weekends for some reason.” Atsumu remembered back to Saturdays when Osamu came home completely drained, and even worse on Sundays. 

The door opened. “Welcome!” Atsumu starts, but then he eyes the familiar curly haired male, a mask covering his face. Though, Atsumu could sense the smile on his face when he saw the blonde. He waved. “Omi!” Atsumu says, “Yer here!” 

“And me!” Komori says, following behind Sakusa. “Gosh Kiyo. You were really excited to go in weren’t you.” 

“Excited to see me Omi?” Atsumu smirks and nudges the boy. Sakusa shakes his head and crosses his arms. He didn’t even say anything and Atsumu was almost about to pass out for how cute he was. 

“Yeah okay. Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Sakusa makes his way to sit down, he motions for the blonde to come towards him. “Well, you’re working here aren’t you?” He points to the table. 

Atsumu smiles and walks towards the table, Komori sitting down in front of his cousin. The blonde takes out a notepad. 

“What would you guys like today?” Sakusa scanned the menu. Again, he rarely ever went to restaurants so he wasn’t really sure what to eat. 

“I’ll have some ramen.” Komori says. “What about you Kiyo?” Sakusa shrugged, still looking through the menu. 

“If you want a suggestion, Samu makes really good onigiri.” Atsumu says while writing down Komori’s order. 

“Don’t pretend yer doin’ somethin’ Tsumu. I can hear them from here.” Osamu says from the kitchen, already boiling the noodles for Komori. Atsumu frowns and puts his notepad down. 

Looking through the menu once more Sakusa finally chooses something. “Maybe, Umeboshi Onigiri?” Osamu nods from behind the counter. He loved making Onigiri. 

“Coming right up.” He smiles. 

When the two got their food, Sakusa was skeptical. He didn’t eat onigiri a lot, even as a kid, but if Atsumu was the one to recommend it to him, then why would he be scared? 

Sakusa bit a small piece of it, the rice in his mouth. He chewed it, thought about it, and then took another bite. His eyes glowed, as he stuffed more into his mouth, Komori rolling his eyes at him.Atsumu blushed. He hadn’t seen the other like this before, and once again he was adorable. 

“Ya like it Omi?” Kiyoomi nods at the blonde, food still stuffed in his mouth, making it hard to speak. Komori laughs. 

“Well I’m glad that you’re enjoying something other than those damn sandwiches.” His cousin says, now eating his ramen. He looks to Osamu. “This is amazing Osamu!” 

“Thanks.” He replies. 

Before Atsumu could say anything more, another customer had come in. “Ah welcome!” The blonde says, rushing towards them. 

Being alone, Komori looks to his cousin, now trying to eat a bit slower. “Ask him out.” 

He lost it. Sakusa choked a little bit, swallowing quickly and looking down to avoid any gaze from the blonde. He glares up at Komori. “What the heck is wrong with you?” He scoffs. “Keep it down.” 

“Oh c’mon Kiyo. Just do it!” Komori says. He crosses his arms and eyes Atsumu from the other side of the restaurant. “He keeps looking over here.” 

“Probably just to check if we need anything. He’s helping his brother out after all.” He takes another bite out of the onigiri. 

“Well it doesn’t matter. You guys are friends now. Ask him to hang out.” Komori suggests. 

Sakusa wasn’t a people person. He didn’t know people, he didn’t talk to people, he didn’t even relatively like talking to people. 

“I’m good.” Kiyoomi says, crossing his arms and sitting back in the chair. Komori sighs at his cousin. 

“Well you can’t just wait for him to ask you, Kiyo.”

“And why not?” Kiyoomi complains. “I’m the shyer of the two, and he knows that. Besides, he probably doesn’t even like me.” 

“You’re hopeless.” Komori says. “You can’t expect someone else to always initiate Kiyo. You gotta do something too.” 

Kiyoomi crosses his arms. It was obvious, he was head over heels for the blonde. But being as socially awkward and shy as he was, he didn’t even consider the fact that he would have to do something too. 

The blonde was smiling at him. He had just finished taking another customer’s order when he looked up to Kiyoomi, waving and smiling brightly. 

“Just think about it at least. You want to date him don’t you?” Sakusa turns red, thinking of being in a relationship with Atsumu. Mornings where he didn’t want to go back to bed. Lunches that aren't always going to be sandwiches. Dinners spent with the blonde himself. He blushed...a lot. He likes spending time with Atsumu. 

Atsumu noticed his face. “Ya okay Omi? Ya look kinda red? Do ya want me to get you some water?” Sakusa tries to hide his face. He wasn’t sure how Atsumu saw his flustered face through the face mask he was wearing but he was intent on him not looking too much into it. 

“I’m fine Atsumu. Just go back to work.” Sakusa shoos the other way, waving his hand, the other covering his face. 

“Oh. Uh, alright.” Atsumu was visibly upset, but he still smiled. Walking away, he goes into the back where his brother was cooking. 

“He hates me.” Atsumu frowns at his brother. “Throw away the plan.”

“What’re ya talkin’ bout Tsumu.” Osamu was cooking the next few orders that were given. 

“Omi hates me.” Atsumu finds a seat on the bench and scowls towards the floor. 

“Stop being dramatic Tsumu. I’m sure he doesn’t hate ya.” 

“Well he isn’t interested in me.” 

“That’s not true either. Proceed with the plan.” Osamu pours some ramen into a few bowls. “But first, go help out. Looks like more people came in.” Atsumu’s head shot up. A family of four comes in, and he speeds to the door. 

Let’s backtrack. The plan? An unspoken agreement that the twins had decided on by themselves, for Atsumu to ask out Kiyoomi. The issue? Atsumu was scared Kiyoomi would turn him down. He was a simp. Head over heels for the curly haired piano player who happened to be mysophobic. If Sakusa needed anything, Atsumu would drop what he was doing to help out. He wasn’t just scared of rejection. He wanted Sakusa to be happy and if Atsumu couldn’t give it to him, then he’d rather Sakusa’s happiness than his own. Atsumu feared something else. 

“Coming right up!” Atsumu waltzes back to the kitchen, handing his brother the next order. “They’re a cute family.” 

Osamu smiles. “Thanks Tsumu.” 

There it was again. Atsumu could see through the smile. His pale skin was becoming a bit worse and his eyes still wouldn’t light up whenever he was cooking. It seemed like just a chore to him now. Though Atsumu couldn’t bring himself to ask his brother about it, knowing he would just lie. 

“Samu.” He starts off. The gray haired twin looks up to him. “Ya know. If ya ever need anything, I’m here for ya.” 

Osamu looks at him a bit confused, but he nods and smiles. “Thanks Tsumu. Though you always have trash advice so don’t be annoyed if I just don’t tell ya.”

“Oh shut it Samu!” Maybe he didn’t have anything to worry about. 

\------

The two had finished eating a while back, but they thought they’d stay and keep the twins company for the day. Komori had continued to convince his cousin to make a move. 

“It doesn’t gotta be like anything fancy Kiyo. You can just ask him to hang out. Go to a piano concert, go shopping, maybe even go to eat. You guys can always go together as just friends.” Komori explains. Sakusa looked at him. It wasn’t a bad idea, he would admit. Maybe he would ask the blonde. 

But it was taking him a long time to even go up to him. Ever since the slip up, Atsumu didn’t really go back to their table, only sending over small smiles anytime they happened to glance at each other. 

At some point, Komori had walked to the counter to keep Osamu some company as he cooked, so Kiyoomi was left in his thoughts. 

‘I’m sure asking him to hang out wouldn’t be so bad.’ Kiyoomi thinks. 

Though, going outside of his or Atsumu’s home may pose a problem for Kiyoomi’s anxiety. 

Finally, the restaurant was closing, and while Komori was talking to Osamu who was cleaning up the kitchen, Atsumu made his way to Kiyoomi. 

‘You can do it Kiyoomi. It’s not that hard.’

“Hey Omi!” Atsumu says, a giant smile across his face. Kiyoomi wonders how he could smile so much. His face got tired when he smiled for even 5 minutes long. “Have a good meal?” 

Sakusa nods, and motions for the blonde to sit on Komori’s seat. “Yeah. Did you eat yet?”

“Not yet, I was plannin’ to go eat after this. Samu said he wanted to go home, so I was going to pick up some food for him.” Atsumu explains. 

‘C’mon Kiyoomi…’ Sakusa was getting impatient, even of himself. 

“I can… go with you?” Sakusa says quietly. “I mean, only if it’s okay with you. I just assumed that you might need help bringing food to your apartment and stuff. You were working all day today. And now I’m rambling. Oh gosh I’m rambling sorry.” 

Atsumu looked at him for a second, and then bursted out with laughter. “Ya wanna hang out with me Omi? Ya didn’t need to be shy about it! I’d love to hang out with ya!” He smiles, trying his best to hide the blush rising to his face. 

“Shut up Atsumu. Maybe I’ll just ditch you and you can find bring all the food home by yourself.” 

“Alright alright Omi! I’m sorry! Please help me out.” Atsumu was begging, but the playful smile was still stuck on his face. 

“Fine. I guess I can help out.” Sakusa’s smiling. A lot actually. 

And for the first time, he wasn’t really scared about hiding the blush spread across his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updates may start to slow down again! But of course I still plan for at least once a week. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!


	16. Change Of Scenery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He didn’t really think about eating those sandwiches anymore, always asking Komori to bring home Umeboshi Onigiri from Osamu’s restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry :')

The twin’s apartment was a comfortable place for Kiyoomi. He loved being there. He loved hanging out with the twins. With Atsumu. He found himself going over a lot, and uninvited, but they didn’t seem to mind. Osamu always appreciated someone keeping Atsumu company when he had work. 

Today was slightly different. 

“What do you mean?” Sakusa was sitting at the piano as usual at Atsumu’s apartment when the blonde had brought up the question. 

“Only if yer comfortable with it though Omi. I just was thinking of buying some new sheet music at the store.” Atsumu had invited Kiyoomi to go with him, but the blonde knew well of his anxiety, and didn’t want to stress him into having to come with him. 

“Shut up. I’d love to go.” Sakusa answered him. There were stars in Atsumu’s eyes again. 

“Let’s go today then.” Atsumu stood up, and reached up to the ceiling, stretching his arms. 

They were going today? Sakusa wasn’t exactly prepared for it. He felt his anxiety begin to rise at the thought of it. As usual, Atsumu usually seemed to notice. 

“Omi! It’ll be fun I promise.” Atsumu smiles and runs to get ready. The weather was still cold out, snow still melting on the ground. At the front door, they run into Osamu. 

“Samu? Ya leaving already? Did ya eat breakfast.” Atsumu poked his brother. Osamu simply grumbled and shook his head. 

“Have fun lovebirds.” He manages to get out before leaving the apartment. 

“Shut it Samu! Have a good day at work!” Osamu waves to his brother before hopping into their shared car. 

“Huh. How’re we supposed to go now?” Atsumu says. 

“We could walk if it isn’t too far.” Sakusa suggests. He didn’t mind walking in the cold if he was with Atsumu. The blonde nods in agreement and the two go off on their way. 

Making it to the store, Kiyoomi slipped on his mask and drew in a deep breath. To his luck, it seemed like the store was pretty much empty, aside from the worker who seemed like she didn’t even wanna be there. 

“C’mon Omi!” Atsumu grabs the man’s hand and drags him into the store. It was big. A store filled with sheet music that they could choose from. Sakusa might want to buy something too. 

“I’m looking for something specific. You can go off on your own if ya want?” Atsumu says. Sakusa felt comfortable enough to go off on his own, there weren’t many people in the store anyways. He nods, and Atsumu smiles brightly. 

“Just yell if ya need anythin’!” Sakusa rolls his eyes. 

“I will not yell for you in a store dummy.” 

The blonde simply laughs and walks away. 

There was a whole library of music waiting for Kiyoomi to look through it. He usually ordered the music online whenever he wanted to play something new. He slipped on his gloves and started sorting through what seemed like millions of copies of music. He came across a few that he had already played. Minute Waltz, the first piece he had heard Atsumu play. He smiles down at the sheet, thinking of the first time he met the blonde. 

“Is there something you’re looking for in particular?” The worker had come to him from behind, startling poor Kiyoomi. “Sorry! Didn’t mean to startle you.”The lady smiles at him. “Let me know if you need help with anything.” Kiyoomi nods, looking away from the lady. 

She still hadn’t left. “There’s a piano over there too.” She explains. “If you wanted to play anything.” 

Kiyoomi nods again, confused on why the girl hadn’t left yet. 

She was just standing there. Sakusa decided to move away. 

Going deeper into the store, he had come across the piano in the back. A big, black grand piano. A steinway, no less. Sakusa wanted to play it, to touch it at least. It was like it was calling for him to play something on it. 

‘Maybe a few notes wouldn’t hurt.’ 

He walked over to the instrument, and taking extra measures to make sure no one was watching, he pressed a few keys on the piano. That should’ve been enough. It should have been, but as soon as Kiyoomi pressed a finger onto the cold keys of the piano, he felt the need to play more. He needed to play more, something or anything. 

Without a second thought, he sits down on the bench placed next to the instrument. Looking at his hands, he finds the strength in him, he pulls off the gloves, and gently places his fingers on the keys. He breathes in, and then breathes out. He was going to have to wash his hands after this, but a part of him didn’t seem to care. His mind goes through the different options of music he had taken to memory. He went through the millions of pieces that had been engrained to his mind. And he knew. Waltz No. 9. 

He began to play. 

Closer to the front of the store, Atsumu was looking through many different sheets of music. He lied, he didn’t have a specific piece he was looking for, only wanting to go out with the other. He heard the familiar piece. The blonde turns to face and looks towards the back of the store. Waltz No. 9. 

He walked rather slowly towards the back of the store. He knew it wasn’t a recording of the piece, someone was actually playing it, and it was beautiful. 

There were many things Atsumu saw. One, he saw the worker watching the pianist at work, simply swooning and falling in love with the music. He comes to stand beside her. Two, the amount of sheet music stacked and pushed against all of the walls, setting the scene. And three, the curly haired man he happened to like sitting in front of the grand Steinway, playing Atsumu’s favorite piece. He felt his heart getting a little lighter. The blonde’s face went red, seeing what he could of Kiyoomi’s face that wasn’t covered by a mask. The way Sakusa visibly looked happy, Atsumu just knew he was happy. Time seemed to stop in that moment. The worker was gone. The stacks upon stacks of music had disappeared. It was Sakusa. All Atsumu could see was the curly haired man in his own world. 

By the time Kiyoomi was done, Atsumu was speechless. 

“Atsumu? Atsumu. What are you looking at?” Sakusa was waving a hand in front of his face, breaking the blonde oout of his trance. 

“N-nothin’ Omi. That was just…” Atsumu was a little lost. It was over already? “Omi!” The blonde yells. He grabes Kiyoomi by his arms. “That…that was amazing!” 

Kiyoomi could feel his face heat up from the complement. “Really? You think so?” 

“Omi. That was the best thing I’ve ever heard. I know so!” Atsumu was hopping a bit in his place. Sakusa smiles. 

The two traveled back to the front of the store shortly after. “Have you found the music you’re looking for yet?” Sakusa asks the blonde. “Or do you need help?” 

Atsumu laughs awkwardly. “Yeah, I haven’t found it yet.” He walks to a shelf, shuffling through the different sheets of music. 

“What piece is it? I’ll help.” Sakusa suggests. 

Atsumu was about to be caught red handed. ‘Quick! Think of something Atsumu!’ He thought. 

“Uh… It’s uh…” He thought back on all of the piano pieces he had ever heard. “The one you played at the concert, where we first met, ya know?” 

Sakusa looks at him confused. “You want 'Hungarian Dance' by Brahms? Whatever for?” It was definitely something Sakusa couldn’t imagine the blonde playing. 

“Yeah! That one…” He laughs nervously. 

“Right…” Sakusa crosses his arms. “Well, if you look over at that shelf, I’m sure you’ll find it.” 

“Thanks Omi! I knew I could count on you!” Atsumu quickly walks over to the shelf the other pointed to. “Ya gonna get anything?” 

Sakusa looks around a little bit. “Maybe, I’ll go look around for something.” 

Atsumu nods. “Maybe you can choose something for the next competition yer gonna join.” 

Sakusa puases. He almost forgot. He needed to compete again. “Yeah. You should get one too.” 

“Me? To compete?” Atsumu looks at the other, dumbfounded. 

“Yeah, why not? You’re definitely getting better. You want to make some money for it don’t you?”

Atsumu nods. “But do ya really think I’m competition material? I watched the other performers Omi. They were like god tier.” 

“True, there’s always going to be talented pianists in competitions, but you’re evety bit as talented as they are.” Sakusa wasn’t even looking at the blonde, his attention towards a specific piece he had come across. 

But unfortunately for him, he wouldn’t be able to see the face Atsumu had made when Kiyooi said that. His cheeks were a nice tint of pink, eyes glowing at the other like he had seen heaven. “T-thanks Omi…” The blonde became shy, turning away to look for the piece again. 

“I found mine. Did ya find anything?” Atsumu wlakas towards the curly haired man, who turns away from the blonde, holding a sheet of music to his chest. 

“Yes. But it’s a secret.” He says, now making his way to the counter to pay. He grabs Atsumu out of his hand. “I’ll pay for both of us.” 

“No Omi, you don’t have to.” Atsumu whined, but it was no use, the man was already taking his credit card out. 

“It’s okay Atsumu. I want to.” 

\------

The two were out of the store, bags in their hand. “It’s getting cloudy.” Kiyoomi says. “Do you think it’s going to rain?” 

“Eh. Probably. Why? Do ya wanna go home now?” Sakusa shakes his head at the question, and Atsumu laughs. 

“Then let me pay for dinner for us then.” If Kiyoomi were to get a dime for every time Atsumu made him blush, he wouldn’t have to perform for money anymore. 

“Okay…” Nonetheless, Sakusa was excited to spend his evening with the blonde. 

The two decided not to go see Osamu and eat at Onigiri Miya, for the sole fact that they knew Osamu would yell at them to go somewhere so they could be alone. And Atsumu wasn’t ready to be outed by his own brother. 

“This place seems good.” Atsumu says. The two walked into a ramen restaurant. “Unless ya wanna go somewhere else.” 

“No, this place is good.” Sakusa assures. 

‘Any place is okay as long as Atsumu’s there.’ the man scoffs to himself. ‘It’s like having a Komori in my head.’ 

But he knew the fact wasn’t wrong. 

Before sitting down, the blonde took the courtesy of wiping down Sakusa’s chair and the table for him, to which Kiyoomi had blushed and quietly thanked him for. He even glared at the people sitting around them. 

“This is nice.” Atsumu says, his bubbly smile spread across his face. “Let’s get somethin’ to eat now. I’m starvin’”

“I mean that is why we’re here at a food establishment Atsumu… You know, for eating?” Sakusa found it fun to tease the boy. 

“Shush Omi! Stop makin’ fun of me.” Sakusa found the pout on Atsumu’s face way too cute. 

The two then whip their heads towards the window. It was pouring out, the rain practically slamming on the ground.

“It didn’t say it would be raining this mornin’” Atsumu says. 

“You know weather reporters. They’re not always right about the weather.” Sakusa says, scanning through the menu. 

“Still… my mom used to say that whenever this happened, there was something bad comin’.” 

Atsumu couldn’t help but shiver a bit in fear. He knew all too well. 

“Don’t be crazy. I’m sure everything will be fine.” Sakusa reassures the other, and Atsumu even smiles. Though Kiyoomi can tell his smile was a bit muted from earlier. It wasn’t as bright. 

The two ordered their food and continued to wait. “We should take out time. Maybe it will stop raining by the time we gotta walk back home.” 

Sakusa nods at the blonde. He remembers something. “Atsumu?” He asks the blonde. 

“Yeah?” Atsumu was looking at the window, before turning his head at the sound of his name. 

“Where did you use to live before being in Ichikawa?” Atsumu looks at him. He laughs. 

“Yer probably askin’ cause of me and Samu’s accent.” The blonde scratches the back of his head. “Hyogo Prefecture. We grew up there.” 

“Really? You said you guys came here for your brother. But you could always play piano on your own in Hyogo.” Sakusa was determined to find out. He knew Atsumu was lying the first time they had talked about it. 

Atsumu shrugs. “Samu and I have basically been connected by the hips since birth. I could’ve gone along with it alone but…” there was an unusual pause. “We wanted to stay together. We’re family.” The blonde no doubtly says it with sincerity. But for some reason, Kiyoomi still had the inkling suspicion that he was still keeping something from him. 

“What about you?” Atsumu asks him. “Have you always lived in Ichikawa?” Sakusa shakes his head. 

“I used to live in Tokyo. Komori too.” The man takes a sip of his water. 

“Any reason why you guys moved?” Sakusa shrugged. 

“Not really. Maybe a change of scenery. I first moved away on my own, but then Komori went with me since he was worried.” 

Sakusa was lying too. Atsumu knew. 

“That’s cool. Well I’m glad we both moved. I would’ve never gotten to meet ya if we didn’t!” There was that smile again, bubbly and bright in it’s nature. 

Sakusa nods in agreement. 

Their food had come to them rather quickly. This was one of the first times Sakusa saw Atsumu eating (other than the millions of times he saw him try to stuff a whole sandwich in his mouth). Atsumu stuffed his face. He loved the ramen, and was making it known to everyone who was watching him. 

“Is it really that good?” Sakusa asks him. Atsumu looks up, noodles sticking out of his mouth. 

“Yeah!” His voice was a bit muffled, though he stuffed more food into his mouth. 

Sakusa laughs at the boy. He was cute, he had to admit. 

He tried some too. Atsumu wasn’t lying. They were really good. Sakusa started to stuff his face too. 

“It’s kind of interesting to see you enjoy something other than sandwiches Omi.” Atsumu says. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well that is all ya really used to eat ya know.” Atsumu wasn’t wrong. Sakusa’s palette had definitely changed. He didn’t really think about eating those sandwiches anymore, always asking Komori to bring home Umeboshi Onigiri from Osamu’s restaurant. 

“True.” Sakusa takes another mouthful of noodles. He isn’t sure how he was able to last this long only eating sandwiches. He would never eat another sandwich ever again. 

“Let’s go to a new restaurant next time.” Atsumu says, slurping up more noodles. 

Sakusa blushes at him. ‘Next time’ 

As in he would be able to hang out with the blonde, by himself again one day. Kiyoomi beams with excitement, but is careful so Atsumu doesn’t see. 

He nods at the blonde. “Yeah. I’d like that.” 

They smile. 

\------ 

Atsumu skips to the door of his shared apartment. It was still pouring out, and he could hear the rain even from deep in the complex. FIshing out his keys, he unlocks the door. 

“Samu!” Atsumu yells out. “I’m home!” He walks into his apartment. No voice was heard, other than the blonde’s of course. He knew Osamu was home, the lights were all on, his shoes sat at the door, and it was almost 9 PM. Kiyoomi and him had talked for a long time, leaving him to come home so late, but he knew the restaurant would be closed. He wanted to tell Osamu about his day. “Samu! Stop bein’ lazy! I wanna tell ya about my day with Omi!” 

Atsumu’s heart was beating a bit faster. He looked everywhere in the apartment. There were a few things wrong with the scene. One, Osamu’s jacket was laying on the couch. Whenever Atsumu did that, he would get scolded. Two, the kitchen smelled terrible. There was burnt food on the stove. Three, Osamu said nothing when Atsumu came home. The restaurant was definitely closed, but there was no way Osamu was already asleep. Was he? 

“Samu?” Atsumu says. He knocks on the door to his brother’s room. “Osamu. Yer scarin’ me. Yer here right?” There wasn’t an answer. He openes the door, and walks in. 

The lights were off, but Atsumu could make up a small figure laying face down on the bed. “Ya look dead Samu.” Atsumu laughs a litte bit and shakes his brother “Bad day at work?” Osamu grumbles, shifting to get away from Atsumu. “Samu… what’s wrong?” But there was no use. Osamu stayed face down on his pillow, almost completely silent other than the grumbling. 

His phone was on the nightstand, still on. Atsumu picks it up. 

It was a message from Suna. 

SunaRin🥰: Osamu…  
SunaRin🥰: I’m sorry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO I MESSED UP AND POSTED LAST CHAPTER TWICE SORRY WSFIUWISNOC  
> Uh... hope you liked this chapter? 
> 
> poor Osamu :(  
> sakejbfksdjbv
> 
> Hope y'all have a good day night or evening!


	17. Out Of Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Osamu liked the weather in Ichikawa. Especially during the spring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO  
> There are a lot of skipping around in time in this chapter, but I hope it isn't too confusing! Uh... enjoy! :D  
> (This won't be the only time I'll be skipping around different times in chapters :') )

*Approximately 2 years ago*

Osamu wasn’t very particular about what kind of building he wanted. He knew he loved to cook, and he wanted to share it with others, so it didn’t really matter to him. 

“This place is nice.” Atsumu says, looking at the photos of the different places offered to him. “Don’t ya think?” 

They were sitting on the floor of their apartment, boxes scattered all over the floor. “Yeah. Maybe.” He says. 

“What’s wrong with it?” Atsumu says. “Don’t think I don’t see that frown on yer face.” 

Osamu sighs. “The ceiling is too low. How am I supposed to put string lights?” Atsumu laughs at his brother. 

“Ya want string lights Samu? It’s yer restaurant, not yer bedroom.” Osamu throws a random paper at his brother. 

Atsumu just laughs. “Okay, but seriously. If ya don’t want it that’s fine, but know we probably can’t find yer perfect place.”

“Yeah yeah I know.” Osamu sighs. He had been given so many different offers for places for his restaurant, and he hadn’t liked any of them. 

“I’m gonna go get food for dinner.” Osamu puts his hat on, and slips on his shoes. 

“Alright. Can ya get some chips? I need some snacks.”

“Yeah yeah alright.” Osamu says. 

“Wait Samu. Help me up?” Atsumu asks, he has a smug look on his face. Osamu sighs but he pulls him up from the floor, dragging him to the couch. 

Walking out of the apartment complex, Osamu enjoyed the scenery. He liked the weather in Ichikawa. The weather was close to perfect during the spring, and Osamu couldn’t wait for a day to take some photos. 

He walked up to the store. What were they going to have today? He wasn’t particularly in the mood for anything specific. Grabbing a bag, he walks in the store. Maybe onigiri? Though, Osamu tended to make it a lot, so Atsumu wasn’t the biggest fan. He could always get away with just making them instant ramen for the night, since Atsumu didn’t mind, but seeing all the food in the store made him crave for some real food, homemade. 

He probably went through every aisel of the store already. He couldn’t decide on one, wanting almost everything in the store. Osamu did however have those honey butter chips Atsumu happened to be obsessed with in his bag, so at least there was that. 

“Uh…” Another boy says, walking up to Osamu. “Were you looking for something specific? Window shopping is usually for clothes stores.” The boy seemd around Osamu’s age, and he wore a worker’s outfit. The first thing Osamu noticed however, was the boy’s hair. It was a bit hard to explain. The way it was sticking out on both sides of his head was pretty funny, but he thought it suited his face. The boy’s eyes were pretty as well, at least to Osamu, who thought it had a large resemblance to foxes eyes. 

“Oh, no. I just can’t decide what to make for dinner.” Osamu says, looking back at the noodles.

“You cook?” The boy says. He was in the middle of restocking some of the food. 

Osamu nods “Yeah. For my brother and I.” 

The boy smiles. “That’s cool. I wish I could cook. Anytime I make something, it always ends up being inedible.” 

Osamu laughs. “I’m sure that isn’t true.” The boy shrugs in response. 

“That’s what my mom would always tell me.” He says. 

He drops a can by accident. “Oops.” And as he goes to pick it up, another hand is already there. “Here ya go.” Osamu says, handing him the can. 

“Thanks.” The boy says. “I’m Rintarou Suna. You?” 

Osamu smiles. “Miya Osamu.” 

“Nice to meet you Miya.” Suna says, placing the can on the shelf. 

“A pleasure to meet you too Rintarou.” 

\------

“You’re gonna open a restaurant?” Suna says. The two were walking on their way home, and coincidentally had chosen a food for dinner just when Suna was finished his shift. The twin nods. “That’s really cool!” Suna exclaims. 

“Thanks.” Osamu smiles a little bit, turning away as he feels the redness come onto his cheeks. 

“You should let me know when you open. I’ll come around to visit.” Osamu smles at him, and nods quickly. “Also, I’ve been meaning to ask. Are you from around here?” 

“I’m guessing yer askin’ because of my accent.” Osamu laughs shyly. “Nah. My brother and I just moved here, from Hyogo.” 

“Oh really? My family’s from Hyogo.” Suna’s face never really changed from its relaxed state, but Osamu could tell from his tone that he was kind of happy. 

“That’s cool.”

“Well how are you liking Ichikawa so far?” Suna asks. They were walking side by side. 

“I do like the weather during this time. It’s alright so far I guess. I just got here so there isn’t much for me to go off of.” 

“Then let me know when you’re free.” Suna says. Osamu looks at him, eyes wide. “I’ll show you around some time.” Osamu almost hated the sun. The way it shone off of the other boy so perfectly, it made him look like an angel. It made his heart feel weird. 

“I’ll be sure to.” They had come up to Osamu’s apartment building, and he was so close to lying about living a bit farther away, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to get away with that. 

“Well. Here’s my number.” Suna takes his phone out of Osamu’s hand, and types in numbers. “Text me whenever you get the chance.” Osamu blushes, taking the phone back from the boy. “I’m assuming this is your stop.” Suna bows to him. “See you around.” He smiles. 

Osamu watches the boy as he makes his way down the street. Once he’s a bit further away, he turns to see Osamu still looking at him. He waves, and continues on his way. 

It takes the twin a little bit to collect himself and make his way to the apartment. His brother was reading something on the couch. “Oh, yer back!” The blonde says. He gets up quickly and takes the bags out of his brother’s hands. “Look at the laptop, I found a place that ya might like, and I’ll put these away.” Osamu nods and walks over to the couch. 

“Ya got chips! Thank you thank you!”Atsumu yells from the kitchen, “And curry for dinner? Heck yeah!” 

Osamu smiles a bit, but not, not from his brother cheering in the other room, but he smiles remembering how Suna’s face curved into a smile when looking at him. He looks towards the ceiling and smiles like an idiot. 

“So what do ya think of the- What are ya smilin’ bout Samu?” The blonde had come into the room, ploping next to his brother on the couch. 

“I love Ichikawa.” Osamu says, relaxing more into his seat. 

\------  
*Present time*

Osamu didn’t plan to close his restaurant that day. It was definitely a lot harder to wake up that morning, sleep was almost not possible for him the night before. He felt like he only got a wink of sleep, leaving bags under his eyes. Dragging his feet out of his room, he was met with Atsumu cooking something on the stove. 

“Oh Samu!” He says, turning for only a second to see his brother. “Yer up.” He smiles, cooking and shuffling the rice on the pan. “Sit down. I’m almost done.” Osamu sits at the table, not a sound coming out of him. 

“Do ya wanna close the restaurant today?” 

With no hesitation, Osamu lets out a groan. “No.” 

“Well it’s already late, so.” Osamu’s head shot to the clock they had hanging on the wall. 

“Frick.” He scoffs, and he’s about to run but Atsumu stops him. 

“Sit yer ass down, we’re not done here.” Atsumu says sternly. His twin sighs, but quietly makes his way back to his seat. 

“What the heck did Suna say to ya?” 

Osamu turned tense at the sound of the other’s name. “What do ya mean?” 

“Samu. I haven’t seen ya that depressed since right before we left home.” Osamu turns his head to the window. “Did he… reject ya?” 

“How do you even know that it was about Suna?” Osamu spats. 

“Samu. I’m yer brother. Yer twin brother, I can just tell. And I just saw the texts from him when I went to check on ya yesterday.” Osamu rolls his eyes. His brother places some fried rice ona plae for him, handing him the food and making his own to sit down. 

“Then why’re ya askin’? Isn’t it obvious?” Atsumu shakes his head. 

“The message only said he was sorry. I can’t just assume he rejected you. I know he was practically in love with ya. So don’t lie to me.” 

Osamu looks down. “He told me that he really liked me. Ever since he showed me around Ichikawa.” 

“Well that’s great! But why the waterworks?” Atsumu leaned closer into the table. 

Osamu sneered at him. “He can’t date me.” 

“What?” The blonde tilted his head in confusion. 

Let me back track again. Osamu was working all day the day before, and the restaurant happened to be rather busy when Suna came to visit. He was dressed rather nicely, and Osamu was already drooling, but his face did not seem very excited to be there. “Suna!” He had called out to his friend. He looked at him and smiled softly. 

Suna walked over to the counter. “I’ll take one onigiri please.” He said. 

“What kind?” And as if time had turned back, Suna put his head on his hand, and smirked at the other. 

“Surprise me.” Osamu was used to Suna being cute like this before, but for some reason a blush rose to his face rather quickly. 

“So how have ya been feelin’? Ya told me the last few times about you not feelin’ well when ya said ya couldn’t hang out.” Suna’s smile dropped into a solemn expression. 

He sighs. “Osamu.” He hadn’t called the twin his full name in a while. Osamu felt his heart drop. “I’m sorry.” He says. The twin wasn’t sure how he felt his heart drop, but also felt it in his throat. Emotions were confusing weren’t they? 

“Bout what? Missin’ out on our plans? It’s fine Suna. I mean, I’ll tell the truth I was mad, but I understand that you can be busy sometimes.” 

“So Samu.” Suna says. “It’s…” He was visibly nervous, Osamu could tell. It was like back when Suna and him went to the store and he was freaking out about having to talk to the worker. He had the same nervous shaking in his hands. His eyes were darting back and forth from multiple things.

“Just calm down Suna.” Osamu says. “We’re best buds right? You can tell me anything.” Suna looks at him, his eyes now sad. 

“Osamu.” He says out flatly. The boy straightens his back. “I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time.” Osamu dropped the rice ball that was in his hand. 

“I- I like you too…” He says. Osamu’s eyes had stars in them, much like Atsumu’s whenever the blonde saw Kiyoomi. Suna picks up the rice ball on the counter for him, and hands it to the boy smiling. 

“I was really hoping…” Suna says with a sad smile on his face. “That maybe you wouldn’t.” 

“What?” Osamu was struck again. “Why?” 

“I can’t date you.” He drops it, Suna seems to visibly relax a little bit. 

“And why not?” Suna was sighing a lot. Osamu was scared. He was happy a second ago. 

“Because…” Suna waves his hand around the whole restaurant. “So many things Osamu.” he relaxes into his seat. “You’ve got a restaurant, I’m still trying to find work for photography. You have to take care of Atsumu, and make money for both of you guys to live. You barely have enough time for yourself. I don’t…” Suna pauses, now looking up at Osamu. “I don’t want to overwhelm you.” 

Osamu looks at him. He felt numb. Nothing was coming out of his mouth for a second. “But-” Suna stops him. 

“No Osamu. I really like you. No, I love you. I have for so long, but relationships are hard.” he explains. “Who knows if we’ll both be ready for this.” 

The two didn’t say anything for a while. Osamu could feel the silence slowly killing him from the inside. 

“Ya know Suna.” Osamu tried so hard not to cry. He never cried. “I love you too.” He says flatly. The twin breaks out in a laugh. “This is so stupid.” he says. He can feel the tears burning as they slipped out of his eyes and down his face. “I’ve always… thought about how… you may never like me back. And now.” He laughs a bit more.

“Osamu..” 

“And now I just find it so ironic. I… You told me you liked me back, that you loved me. It felt like a dream. Ya know? I guess it’s dumb huh? I thought about this happening. That maybe I’d get to be with ya. I guess dreams don’t really work out for everyone huh?” 

“Osamu…” Suna tried again. Osamu just wiped his tears off his face. He continued. 

“I was willing to do anything. Anything to be with you. But, you just…” Osamu was gradually getting a bit louder as time went on. “You just take some excuse. ‘Yer too busy with yer job’ ‘Ya gotta take care of tsumu’. ‘We’re both too busy for a relationship’.” Osamu’s laughing a lot louder now. “Do ya really love me Suna? I love you so much. I’d at least try to make things work.” He sniffles. “Here’s your onigiri.” he drops the container of food in front of him. “It’s on the house.” 

“Osamu, please. I do love you, but-” The twin stopped looking at him. 

“Next please!” He says, plastering a smile onto his face. 

And with that, Suna left. 

“He’s a piece of crap if he uses that for a reason why he can’t date ya. He’s probably just a wuss.” Atsumu says. 

“He isn’t wrong though.” Osamu says. He isn’t even eating at this point. “I am too busy. Even if we were to date, I wouldn’t have time for him. To see him.” 

“But-” Atsumu says. Osamu gets up. 

“Thanks for the fried rice Tsumu. But I better get going. Let’s just drop this. It’s stupid anyways.” 

“Yer feelings aren’t stupid Samu.” But it was too late, Osamu had gotten up, and walked out of the door, on his way to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick summary/explanation   
> So yes. Suna did not reject Osamu. In fact he confesses, and tells him that he loves him. But knowing how complicated and time consuming relationships can be, he didn't want to stress Osamu out by starting one with him. Suna knows how much Osamu loves to cook, and how much he loves his restaurant and Atsumu. He didn't want to add to his stress. And as much Osamu hates it, and is mad, he can't but understand what Suna is saying, and knows that he probably won't have time for him either.   
> So... yeah. But poor Osamu :( 
> 
> Hope y'all having a great day today!  
> Thank you for reading!


	18. Congratulations Atsumu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Japan's best :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sort of a filler chapter, the beginning for the next big thing that happens in the story. Sorry!

Atsumu hadn’t texted him in ages. And by ages, he meant like in a few days. Kiyoomi didn’t hear much of anything from Atsumu in the past few days, and he was starting to get worried. He had texted Atsumu once, a simple hello. But Atsumu answered hours later saying that he would be busy with a family issue. He was hoping it wasn’t anything serious. 

“Maybe we should bring something over?” Komori suggests. He was making some coffee for them both. “Like some food. Snacks?” 

Sakusa hums. “Yeah. But if it’s an emergency then I don’t want to bother them.” He sighs and flips through an old music book. 

“True. But if Atsumu isn’t doing well, then I’m sure he’d love to see you.” Kiyoomi blushes at the thought of the blonde being happy to see him. 

Sakusa then gets an email. 

‘Congratulations!’ His eyes widen, and he looks at his cousin. 

He quickly gets up and makes his way to the door of their apartment, slipping on his jacket and his mask. 

\------

“Atsumu. I know you’re in there. Open up!” Saksua was knocking on the boy’s door. Atsumu was in there. He was busy lounging around on the couch, scrolling through his phone, but when he heard Kiyoomi’s voice, he dashed to the door. 

“Hi Omi! Ya came to visit me?” Sakusa nods, and the blonde lets him in. 

“Where’s Osamu?” The man asks. Atsumu just shakes his head and sighs. 

“Working. He’s been working harder for a while now. Too much.” The blonde sighs, thinking of his brother. 

“Well, I have news.” Sakusa takes his phone out. “I got an email most literally 10 minutes ago.” 

“Really? What’s it about?”

“I’m sure you got one too. Did you check your email?” Sakusa says, going to search for the message. 

“Nah. I forget to all the time.” 

“Of course you do. Just look.” He shows his phone to the blonde. 

‘Congratulations! Based on your performance for the competition in Tokyo, you and your duet partner have been chosen to compete in the Japan Wide Competition in Tokyo. Please let us know if you accept. We hope to see you both there!’

“A competition in Japan?” Atsumu says. 

“The biggest one in Japan.” Kiyoomi says. “I’ve only attended once. There were so many people.” 

“Did ya win?” Sakusa shrugs. 

“It was multiple rounds. Different categories. I won some but not a lot.” Saksua says. “Akaashi was there.” 

“Akaashi Keiji?” Atsumu says. Of course he was there. Akaashi was one of the best players in the country. Almost everyone knew him. 

“Yeah. I think he attends every year.” 

“You have to be invited?” Atsumu sits down in front of the piano, Sakusa sitting on the chair near it.

“Yeah. You can apply to be added into the list, but you have to record some stuff for that.” Sakusa explains. 

And then the reality hits Atsumu. “I- I was invited?” 

“Yeah. It says in the email. Go check yours.” 

The blonde scrambles to check, clicking through his phone. 

There it was, the email. It was real, he was invited. 

“I- I was invited to a piano competition.” He says, looking at his phone. 

“Yes.” 

“A big one.” 

“The biggest in the country.” 

“Me.” Atsumu says. He has tears in his eyes. He’s happy, clearly. Kiyoomi smiles at him warmly. 

“Congratulations Atsumu.” And that was the first time the blonde hugged Kiyoomi. 

His arms wrap around the other, tears still streaming down his face. He’s repeating the same thing. “Omi, thank you!” Kiyoomi feels a bit of warmth in his heart. He wasn’t disgusted, he didn’t feel weird when Atsumu touched him. In fact, he felt like he was on cloud nine, his heart racing and becoming lighter at the same time. He put his arms slowly on Atsumu’s back. This was what a hug felt like? He wanted to do it all the time, at least mostly with Atsumu. 

“You deserve it Atsumu. But don’t thank me yet. We have to practice to win.” Sakusa says, standing up. 

It was the first time Atsumu saw the man like this. His eyes twinkling, standing in confidence, excited to practice, and spend time with the blonde. He liked it. He liked seeing Kiyoomi comfortable enough to act whatever way he wanted. He smiles. 

“Yeah. We’re gonna win.” 

And at that, they began practice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all, I keep typing like 'yer' or 'ya' when I'm texting now and I can't stop :0  
> Anyways! How are y'all? I hope everyone is doing well :)
> 
> I will be adding some new characters in the next few chapters. Is there any character anyone is interested in seeing?
> 
> Thanks For Reading!


	19. Waltz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Walking on water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for 1K hits 🥺   
> Y'all are the best!  
> QUICK NOTE: This competition is completely made up. Probably not how actual competitions really work! How the competition will work will be explained in end notes and next few chapters!   
> Hope you enjoy!

Choosing pieces was harder than he had originally thought. “What do ya think of this one Samu?” He plays a recording of the piece for his twin brother. 

He crosses his arms, and shakes his head. “Boring.” Osamu was drinking a cup of coffee. “Ya gotta play something that ya really like. Don’t just choose what ya think would be cool.” 

Atsumu convinced his brother to take a break from work for a little bit. He promised he would finally bring some money home for the both of them. “Yer right. But I do wanna win.” 

“Ya said they had different rounds? Is there anything specific with this one?” Atsumu shrugs. 

“It’s not really a certain thing they’re judgin’ the performances on. This one is the first one, somethin’ about playin’ somethin’ that shows who ya are?” Atsumu continues to flip through one of the only music books he has. 

“What about that one ya play on yer phone all the damn time.” Osamu complains. “Like, Dance of No 98 or-”

“Waltz No. 9 in A Flat Minor?” Atsumu says, laughing. 

Osamu laughs too. “Ya know that I don’t know about any of this stuff.” 

Atsumu just chuckles louder. “That’s fine Samu, but that’s not a bad suggestion. Maybe I’ll run it by Kiyoomi.” 

\------

“No.” 

“But-” 

“No Atsumu.” 

The two had been going back and forth with the decision for a while now. Let’s set the scene. The blonde had invited himself over to Kiyoomi’s apartment, of course Kiyoomi only let him in after showing him the Umeboshi onigiri in his hands. They decided to discuss practicing for the competition, and pieces to play for the first round. Compared to Atsumu, Sakusa hadn’t a clue what to play yet. A piece that represented himself? Yeah, alright. 

“Why not Omi?” The blonde had looked at him with sad, pleading eyes. 

“Because Atsumu.” Sakusa sits down at the piano bench. “A lot of people are going to be playing some amazing things. Maybe it is something that resonates with you, but you need something to wow the judges.” Atsumu sighs. He understands why it may have not been a good idea, but he couldn’t help but want to do it. 

“But I can wow the judges with this piece.” He holds it out to Kiyoomi, who still wasn’t convinced. “Maybe it is on the easier side, but the sound of the piece will always be the thing that will change, that will bring people in.” 

Kiyoomi crosses his arms. He sighs. It would be Atsumu’s final choice for what he would end up playing in the end anyway. “Fine. But don’t come crying to me if you lose.” 

“Yeah yeah whatever Omi. I’ll do my best.” Atsumu is the first to sit at the piano, going over his piece. Sakusa scoffs, still looking through his sheet music. 

“Don’t know what ya wanna play Omi?” The blonde asks the other. “Do ya need help?” 

Sakusa did not want help from the blonde, knowing he will probably choose something dumb. But he also knew that he would take way too long deiciding. Maybe some insight wouldn’t hurt. 

“Do you have any idea of what I could play?” Atsumu stood up happily, and skipped his way over to Kiyoomi. He was so skiddish, Kiyoomi was not particularly excited. 

“I actually happen to have many ideas.” He grabs his phone and quickly scrolls through it. Sakusa assesses the scene in the room. The blonde standing in front of him, the light above seeming to reflect off of his hair. A huge smile was placed on his face, he lets out quiet giggles, looking at different music on his phone. “Omi.” He looks at him, hands on his hips and everything. “There are so many pieces that I can think of that represents you.” 

“Oh really?” He rests against a chair next to him, skeptical, “And what would those be.” Atsumu stands defiantly. He clicks on something on his phone. 

Sakusa listens to the piece. “And why exactly does Arabesque no. 1 remind you of me?” 

“So many reasons Omi!” he throws his hand up in excitement. “Let’s think. First, the beginning. It’s dreamy. Gradually coming to view.” He’s spreading his arms now, imagining some sort of scene. “It tells a story. Kiyoomi, a pianist. It gives me a feeling as though I’m… flying? Walking on water? It’s just an ethereal feeling. I can’t really put my head to it.” 

Kiyoomi wasn’t much convinced yet. He did have to admit, the piece was beautiful. It was ethereal. Atsumu was right in that sense at least. “Anything else?” 

Atsumu hums, scrolling through his phone again. “I know you’ll like this one Omi.” He presses play. 

Sakusa’s eyes are wide. He was right, he did like it. 

“Do you have the sheet music for this one?” Atsumu nods. 

“I’ll let ya borrow it.” Sakusa nods, and Atsumu smiles brightly. 

“We’re gonna do so good!” The other rolls his eyes, and walks to the piano with him to finally begin practicing. 

\------

“How are you Osamu?” Suna had come into the restaurant for the fifth time that week. Osamu was once again unresponsive to Suna’s questions. “Please Samu? I didn’t want this to ruin our friendship too.” 

The restaurant wasn’t particularly crowded today, but Osamu continued to cook. He didn’t even look up when Suna began talking to him, his eyes glued on the onigiri he was making at the moment. One of the millions of onigiri he made for himself that day. 

He didn’t say anything, continuing to mold the rice in his hands and wrap it up for himself, and his brother later. Possibly even some customers other than Suna. 

“Samu. Please?” Suna pleads. 

“Suna, the restaurant’s a little busy today. Let’s talk about this next time.” His tone is straight and calm. He wasn’t really freaking out anymore. 

All Osamu really felt was tired. Exhausted actually. 

“Samu. Don’t give me excuses. There’s only one person in here.” Suna points to a guy sitting at a table, eating some onigiri. 

“Oh. Please don’t mind me. I’m enjoying the drama.” The guy says. Suna looks at him questioningly. The man had light brown hair, and a certain smug look to his face. 

He scoffs and ignores him. “Samu, please.” 

“Take a hint, Suna.” Osamu spits out. He’s looking straight at him now, crushing some of the rice in his hands. “You’ve come here over and over again for the past week, and I say the same thing. Or should I be straight forward for ya?” 

Suna sighs, shaking his head to Osamu. “Fine. I’ll go. But I’ll be back. Just so you know.” With that, the man leaves the restaurant. 

Osamu sighs. He didn’t want Suna to leave to be honest, but seeing him may be too hard on his emotions for a while. 

“Got into a fight with your boyfriend?” The brown haired man placed his empty plate onto the counter in front of Osamu. 

The twin looks at him, and scoffs. “And how is that any of yer business?” 

“Okay okay sorry.” He giggles to himself. “I didn’t mean to intrude on yer love life. I’m a bit new around here.” 

“New to Ichikawa?” The brown haired male nods. 

“Don’t live here. Just visiting for a specific event.” He looks at his watch, and his eyes widen. 

“Ah! I guess I may have had too much fun here.” He fishes out soem cash and leaves it on the table. “Save the change! I’ll be back before I leave, don’t worry!” 

The man runs out the door right after. 

He paid Osamu $20 more than he needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Competition will have a few rounds. Like how the first one, all competitors must play a piece to that they believe represents themselves. It is to showcase the selected pianists in Japan. Money will be given to winners for each round :)  
> HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!   
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Arabesque No.1 - Claude Debussy (There is a specific reason why I brought this one up even if Sakusa isn't playing is >:D hint hint, cough cough, sniffle sniffle)


	20. Warmth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was warm again.

The weather was changing pretty quickly. Atsumu liked the weather in Ichikawa. It was now the beginning of March, and the temperature was beginning to get a lot warmer. Atsumu was definitely more of an outside person. Going out with friends. Dance nights at random clubs. He was hoping that one day Sakusa would be open to going out to hang out with him for things like that, but he almost knew that it was almost impossible. 

“Oh yeah.” Komori says, sitting at the table. “Kiyo really hates going to things like that.” They were all over Sakusa’s and Komori’s apartment. Even Osamu was there, Atsumu was able to force him to rest for the day. 

The blonde sighs in defeat. “Well. I guess it’s okay.” 

“Why are you asking? Thinking of asking my cousin out?” Atsumu turns red, happy Sakusa liked to take his sweet time going to the bathroom, and that his brother was sleeping on the couch. 

“No! I was just wondering. That’s all.” The blonde moves away from the table, going towards the piano and sits down. 

He presses a few keys on the piano when Sakusa comes in. The blonde didn’t notice. 

Kiyoomi’s mind went to mush for a second. The sight of the blonde sitting by his piano made him weak to his knees. He looked so peaceful. He imagined waking up to the blonde like this every morning. Walking into his living room, the sun shining in through the window, and the blonde sitting in front of the piano, playing his favorite piece, or just some random tune. He thought about how he would love to walk up and just wrap his arms around the blonde, bringing his lips up to his cheek and- 

“Omi?” Sakusa was knocked out of his trance. “Why’re ya starin’ at me.” 

“I’m not staring at you, Atsumu. You’re just delusional.” Sakusa crosses his arms, looking away from the blonde, no mask to cover his blush this time. 

“Yeah yeah. Whatever ya say Omi! Yer blush says different.” He wasn’t sure when Atsumu had moved from the seat of the piano. “The first round is next week. We should take a break today.”

Sakusa was skeptical. He would usually practice everyday, day and night until the day of competition. He wasn’t familiar with the idea of breaks. 

“Don’t give me that face Omi!” Atsumu whines, his face turning to a frown. He thought it was cute. “We deserve a break! And ya already learned yer piece! Yer really good at it now.” He still wasn’t really convinced. Besides, there were a few things that still bothered him. For example, the beginning. He felt like there was something off about the sound and he was so close to figuring it out, but of course the blonde was looking at him again, his eyes seeming to pierce through his soul. 

“Please Omi!” He was pouting. He was such a baby. A child stuck in an adult’s body. Sakusa wasn’t going to give in. He was better than that. 

\------

“YAY!” Atsumu yells, cheering in front of the park. The four had decided on going to a small fair that happened to be open, and by the four, I mean Atsumu who kept begging all of them to go. First of all, Sakusa wasn’t exactly sure why Atsumu was so interested in going to a fair when it was just the beginning of March, and the temperartures were still cold even if they were warming up. 

“There’s almost no one here.” Komori says. “We have like the whole fair to ourselves!” Osamu smiles. Sakusa was glad about the fact that they were the only ones basically at the fair. 

“Let’s get ice cream!” Atsumu says, pointing to a stand. 

“Dummy. It’s freezing out.” Sakusa scoffs, but the blonde just sticks his tongue out at him. 

“And? It’s never too cold for ice cream Omi! That’s rule number one!” The other rolls his eyes and reluctantly follows the group to get some ice cream. 

Atsumu ended up getting strawberry cheesecake, Komori with chocolate chip cookie dough, Osamu with chocolate, and Sakusa with vanilla. 

“Vanilla Omi?” Atsumu says, spooning more of the creamy dessert into his mouth. “Is that one yer favorite?” 

“Yeah I guess. I don’t really get ice cream a lot.” The man explains, licking someone of his own ice cream. 

“Well be prepared to eat a lot if yer gonna be hangin out with me now Omi.” Sakusa blushes and looks at the blonde with wide eyes. Atsumu was simply shoveling the cold ice cream into his mouth. 

It made him think for a moment. What were he and Atsumu? Were they friends? Even more? He was scared of asking the blonde. Maybe he was wrong, and making things up in his mind. 

He didn’t notice, but Atsumu was blushing at his words too. Maybe he was insinuating hang outs with the other and Sakusa didn’t approve. But they were friends right? Wouldn’t hanging out every now and then be normal for buddies?

But then again, the little scenarios he made up in his head weren’t very friend-ish. 

“Yeah alright.” Sakusa says, walking a little farther, trying his very best to avoid the other’s gaze. 

Sakusa had to admit. The weather wasn’t that bad. The sun was out, making it a bit warmer than he thought it would have been, but it doesn’t change the fact that Kiyoomi is an indoor person and would much rather be at home. 

“Don’t ya think the sun is pretty Omi?” Atsumu was trying his best to gaze up at the sun, his eyes squinting at the bright light. 

“Sure. But don’t keep looking at the light like that. It’ll hurt your eyes.” 

“Aw! Omi cares about me?” 

Komori cuts in. “Well of course he does. You’re all he really talks about at home now.” 

Osamu laughs. “Don’t worry Sakusa. Atsumu talks about ya non stop when we’re alone too.” 

“Shut up Samu!” The twin hits his brother, Osamu just laughing louder at him in response. 

“Whatever. What do you guys want to do now?” Sakusa scoffs, turning away from them. 

“We could all go walk around and visit some stands.” Komori says. “It’s your birthday soon Kiyo. Do you want anything?”

Sakusa silently curses at his cousin. “Nothing really. “

“Omi? It’s almost yer birthday? Why didn’t ya tell me?!” Atsumu pouts, his eyes glistening. 

“There was no need to. It’s just my birthday. And not even. It’s the 20th.” Kiyoomi complains. 

“Well people need at least a month to be able to plan a great birthday!” The blonde put his hands on his hips and his brother rolled his eyes. 

“Just ignore him Sakusa. But are ya sure ya don’t want anythin’ for yer birthday?” Osamu asks. 

Kiyoomi nods. “There’s no need to dwell on getting me anything. I’m just turning 22.” 

“That’s a two digit number with the same one digit number! Of course it’s important!” The blonde was getting louder, and Sakusa just sighed. 

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.” 

“Literally. Oh look, a stand. Let’s go over there.” Osamu points somewhere, and Komori and Sakusa follow him, leaving the blonde behind. 

“Meanies! Omi! Don’t be mean to me! Yer supposed to be on my side!” Atsumu runs to follow him. 

\------

Halfway through his ice cream, Sakusa was slowly following the blonde to their 6th stand of the day. It had a bunch of comics. Everyone else had finished their creamy dessert. 

“Do ya read any comics Omi?” The curly haired man shakes his head. 

“They’re pretty interesting. Well if ya get the right ones.” Atsumu explains. Sakusa nods. He was in no way an outdoor person, this was obvious, but Kiyoomi could get used to the sight of Atsumu’s excited smile to hang out with him. 

“Tsumu. There’s this person selling sheet music over at that stand.” Osamu points towards a stand a few feet away from them. Stars burst into Atsumu’s eyes, as he grabs Kiyoomi’s hand and runs towards it. 

Sakusa was very happy to have felt Atsumu’s hand against his, even if there was a glove in between them. If he could only take it off and really feel him. He felt a lot warmer when he was with the blonde, despite the cold weather. 

“Omi! Look!” He points to the piles of sheet music. His eyes beaming with excitement. 

“Are you two musicians?” The worker asks the two. He wasn’t even looking up, staring intently at his phone. Sakusa and Atsumu nod. “Well, let me know if you need any help. I’m kind of just getting rid of some sheet music.” He says quietly.

“Why? Are you a musician too?” Atsumu asks the boy. He nods and smiles brightly. 

“Well ex-musician really. I quit piano a few months ago.” . 

“Really? Do ya mind if I ask why?” The boy shakes his head. 

“Just got bored of it, is all. I got into it because of my friend, but I don’t really find it all that interesting anymore.” Sakusa found the man quite interesting. Who would be bored of piano? 

“Really?” Sakusa says. “Personally, I don’t think I could ever quit.” 

The man laughs. “I guess.” He continues to press away on his phone. “Must be different for everyone.” 

“I guess.” Atsumu says, grabbing a book. “But who knows, maybe you’ll like it later on?” 

He scoffs. “I don’t think so. I get bored of things easily.” He puts his phone down on the table in front of him. Sakusa could see the winning screen of a game. 

“Hm. Wanna bet?” Atsumu says, smiling brightly. 

“And what exactly are we betting?” He says. 

“This.” The blonde holds up a book. “Debussy’s best works. You come to a concert Omi Omi and I are going to perform at, and if we get ya to be interested to be in piano again, then I get to have this for free.” 

He looks up at the two, and smiles. “Alright.” The sly look in his eyes reminded Kiyoomi of a cat. “What about you?” He points to Sakusa. “You gonna bet something too?” Kiyoomi looks at a few of the books he had laid out as Atsumu shared his number with the man. 

“This one.” It was a random book. Nothing to win, nothing to lose I guess. 

“Alright. And if you don’t get me to like it, pay me for the books.” He says, going back to playing something on his phone. 

“Oh sorry. I’m Miya Atsumu.” He points to Kiyoomi. “This is Sakusa Kiyoomi. And you?” 

He looks up for a moment before turning his gaze back down to his game. “Kozume, Kenma.” 

\------

The sun was setting and Sakusa was exhausted. He wasn’t used to walking this much. Despite the blonde’s chipper nature, he seemed pretty worn out too. 

“We should probably head back soon guys.” Osamu says, eyeing his brother every now and then. 

“Wait!” The blonde yells. “What about the small music event they’re havin’ soon. We can’t miss it.” He pouts again.

No. No more. Kiyoomi wasn’t going to be dragged down again by Atsumu’s pout. 

“Atsumu. It’s freezing out. And you look tired too.” He was right, it was getting a lot colder than it was compared to that morning. But Atsumu wasn’t particularly tired. 

“I’m not tired Omi!” He says. The blonde was sitting on a bench they had come across, the curly haired man sitting next to him. “Wait. Unless yer tired.” He says. “Then, maybe it’s okay to miss it. Maybe they’ll be back another time.” 

“Yeah. And besides Tsumu. It’s getting late. And we need to get home.” There was a certain authority to Osamu that Kiyoomi hadn’t really seen before. 

Atsumu sighs, and begins to stand up. “Fine…” 

“Wait.” It’s almost a reflex. Sakusa grabs onto Atsumu’s jacket. “I- I’m not that tired. I woudln’t mind seeing the music event you’re talking about.” Atsumu looks at him wide eyed. “Of course if the rest of you guys are okay with that.” 

Komori smiles. “I’m down for that. It sounds like fun. And you’ve never been down to do things like this Kiyo. What a new side to you.” Sakusa rolls his eyes at his cousins, and turns to Osamu. Atsumu looks at him too, pouting. 

He’s quiet for a second, arms crossed across his chest. He sighs. “Fine. But not for too long.” Atsumu cheers, and grabs Kiyoomi’s hands again, bringing him to the event. 

It had a sense of warmth to it. The event was outside, but strings of lights were hanging from building to building. It was the center of the fair. The group were lucky to find somewhere to sit, seeing as the event had much more of a turnout than the actual fair itself. The first of Sakusa’s mistakes, giving in to Atsumu’s pleads. He felt almost suffocated. The people around him crowded around, enjoying the background music and dancing. It was loud too, not making it that good for Kiyoomi’s anxiety. He was getting dizzy. He couldn’t even hear what Atsumu was saying apart from the flurry of loud voices that filled the area. He was drowning. So close to booking it out, and running his way back home. And cold, it felt freezing. The warmth was escaping him, even the yellow of the string lights didin’t seem too bright anymore. 

And then. 

“Omi?” Atsumu’s voice rang from his right ear. He turns his head, his eyes meeting the blonde’s. He was close. Atsumu slipped the glove off of Kiyoomi’s hand, slipping his own onto his. “I’m here Omi.” He smiles. 

It was warm again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO!  
> How are y'all? I thought this would be a nice cute chapter before the competition stuff starts :) I have so much planned I'm excited >:D. And of course I wanted to introduce Kenma!   
> I was wondering something: What's your favorite Haikyuu character? At the moment mine is Atsumu :D 
> 
> FUNNY STORY I chose their ice cream flavors by taking a "What's your ice cream flavor" quiz. It was fun lol.
> 
> Anyways, wishing everyone the best!   
> Thanks for reading!


	21. Japan's Bigger Than You Think

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Then clearly, you’re misjudging the size of the country.” He softly lays his fingers on the keys. “Japan’s a lot bigger than you think.”

The four had decided to stay at the same hotel while staying in Tokyo, which Atsumu knew wasn’t a good idea considering he wouldn’t be able to sleep knowing Kiyoomi would be right next door to him. 

“Why’re we even stayin’ in a hotel. Tokyo’s only like 20 minutes away from here.” Sakusa says. They were all currently in Komori’s car, on their way. 

“Well we’re gonna have to go back next week anyways. You guys have access to practice at the theater, so we might as well have fun here.” 

Osamu sighs. It had been a while since he took a long vacation, let alone a week off. “Do ya think I should go back during the weekend? Ya know, just to open for a few days?” 

“Absolutely not.” Komori says. “You need a break Osamu. We all do. Let’s have fun while we’re in Tokyo.” 

Osamu grumbled a bit, but he was a little excited to get a break from everything. And Tokyo was away from Suna, so there was that too. 

“I’m gonna have to clean the whole room before anything though.” Sakusa sighs. He had brought every cleaning product he thought of. The auditorium they were performing in was one he hadn’t been to before, making him worry about the condition of everything. 

“We all can help ya Omi!” Atsumu cheers. “It’s no problem. If all four of us help out, then I’m sure it would only take like 10 minutes.” 

Sakusa smiles at the thought of cleaning alongside Atsumu. 

“OMI!” Of course he wouldn’t even last ten minutes. “I’m so bored!” He complained. “And my knee hurts.” 

“You okay Tsumu?” His brother asked him as he sat on the bed. They were only halfway done with the cleaning when Atsumu had jumped onto the bed and sighed in defeat. 

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’ll help in a second.” Atsumu says, covering his face with his arm. This would be true if he hadn’t fallen asleep, snoring as loud as possible. 

“You’re going to have to live with that if you date him, Kiyo.” Sakusa turned red, and smacked his cousin. 

“Ya still like my brother Sakusa?” Osamu sneers. “Don’t ya think you should find someone better?” Komori and Osamu laugh, watching the drool coming out of Atsumu’s mouth. 

Sakusa smiles and sits next to the blonde on the bed. “No. I’m good.” 

Komori gasps, taking his phone out to take a photo. “Any word about this and consider your subscription to Crunchyroll gone.” Sakusa threatens, making his cousin slowly put his phone down. 

“Really?” Osamu says. “Missing blackmail for Crunchyroll?” 

“But there are no commercials.” Komori pouts and Osamu slaps his forehead. 

The three laugh. 

\------

The auditorium was really big. There was always one thing Atsumu always paid extra attention to when he performed at new places. The lights. He always loved the bright fluorescent lights in a big auditorium. They were never always the same color. 

Kiyoomi particularly liked the piano. A steinway. He silently cheered to himself. It wasn’t all the time that he was able to play on a steinway. 

The two made their way into the building, passing through the row of seats. A few of the contestants were already there. Atsumu recognized a few people. The familiar orange and black hair from their last competition. Sakusa’s breath stilled. He felt like he was expecting them. And of course, the two had turned their attention towards who they were really waiting for: Akaashi Keiji, the best piano player they knew in Japan. He waves, and softly smiles at the two when they come to sit down. 

“HEY!” The orange haired boy says. “Aren’t you two the ones that did the duet at that competition a while back?” 

“HINATA BOKE!” The black haired man says. “Don’t be so rude to them.” 

“It’s alright.” Atsumu says, smiling to the two. “We were. I remember ya Hinata.” He says. “You two were really good.”

“Thanks! You guys were amazing too!” He yells. 

“Boke! Quiet down!” 

“Shut up bakeyama! You’re being just as loud.” 

There wasn’t any moderator at the auditorium yet. The only contestant so far that Sakusa hadn’t recognized was a quiet, green haired boy sitting a little farther away from them. Akaashi taps on Sakusa’s shoulder. 

“Hello.” He says politely. He’s quiet, but loud enough for Sakusa to hear. “How are you?” 

Kiyoomi tries to clear his throat before responding. “Hey. I’m doing well, how are you?” 

Akaashi smiles. “I’m well. Not surprised you’re here Sakusa.” Kiyoomi looks at him confused. 

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re an amazing player.” He says, smiling brightly. “It’s no surprise you’ve made it this far.” 

Kiyoomi’s heart felt warm. He was never really good at conversing with someone else. “Are you kidding? I mean, I’ll admit that I’m not that bad, but you. You’re on a whole ‘nother level.” 

Atsumu smiles watching the two talk in the corner of his eye. He turns to see the one boy who hadn’t said anything yet. “Hey you!” He yells. The green haired boy looks up, a bit of fear in his eyes. “Come over here. We don’t bite!” 

The boy reluctantly stands up and moves a bit closer. “Uhm, hey.” He says. 

“What’s yer name?” The blonde asks, now standing up. The group was now looking at him. 

He was nervous. “My uh- my name is Yamaguchi, Tadashi.” 

Atsumu smiles at him. “Nice to meet ya Yamaguchi!” He holds up Sakusa’s hand. 

“This is Omi, I mean Sakusa Kiyoomi.” Sakusa bows his head to Yamaguchi, the boy doing it back to him. 

“Wow Yamaguchi, you’re very social today.” Hinata says, laughing. 

“You two know each other?” Atsumu asks the tangerine. Hinata nods in response, tapping Kageyama on the head. 

“Kageyama and I met him back in high school.” He says. “We’ve all been friends ever since.” 

“That’s cool!” Atsumu says. 

Akaashi laughs a little bit. He turns to Kiyoomi. “Your boyfriend is very friendly.” Sakusa whips his head to him. 

“He’s- We’re not- I-” Akaashi just laughs at Kiyoomi’s red face. 

“Sorry to assume. You two just seemed really close.” He says. 

Kiyoomi smiles. “That’s because we are.” 

The group continue to talk around and laugh at random things, when a few more people walk onto the stage. They had a sense of determination, and ground when Sakusa saw them. 

“Welcome contestants.” One of them say. “I’m Daichi Sawamura.” 

The next one puts his hands on his hips, a flare of some attitude in his stance. “Kuroo Tetsurou.” 

The last one, stood lanky and a bit awkward, hands in his pockets. “Tsukishima Kei.” 

“We’re your moderators and judges for the comeptition.” Daichi says. “Let’s see who’s here for now and meet everyone.” He looks though a few papers on his clipboard. He find it. “Alright, Akaashi Keiji?” Sakusa watches Akaashi raise his hand and bow his head at Daichi. “It’s nice to see you again Akaashi.” Daichi says to him. Akaashi was at this competition almost every year. 

“Kageyama Tobio?” The black haired boy raises his hand. “Another contestant thats been here before.” Tsukishima says, sighing. 

“O- Hm. I don’t see him yet.” Daichi mumbles under his breath. 

“Miya Atsumu.” The blonde raises his hand with a bid smile on his face. Kuroo points to him. “We got a new one this year!” The blonde giggles and nods. 

“Hinata Shoyo?” Hinata jumps up and cheers. 

“I’m here!” He yells, causing Kageyama to scold him, and Yamaguchi begging him to quiet down. 

“Sakusa Kiyoomi?” Kiyoomi raises his hand slowly, and Daichi looks at him and nods. 

“Yamaguchi Tadashi?” Yamaguchi raises his hand silently, bowing to avoid the look on their faces. “Also a new one.” Daichi says under his breath. Tsukishima seems to look at the green haired male a little longer than needed. 

“Well, Welcome everyone! As you should already know, the first round of the competition must be a piece that represents yourself. The competition will work like this.” Kuroo pulls out a board for Daichi to present on. There was a diagram. 

“There will be multiple rounds to the competition, each one having a specific theme they will revolve around. No one will be eliminated, and money will be rewarded to the top three contestants for each round. The final round will be a few months from now, and the winner of the big finale will win a rather big prize, but we won’t announce it until later.” Daichi explains. Atsumu was pretty fired up. He hadn’t attended too many competitions before, and now it was his time to shine. 

“We have a few rooms available in the back for you guys to practice throughout the week in case you’re staying here in Japan for a little while.” Daichi says. “The first round is coming up this weekend. If you need to reserve a room, please let me know. People can do joint practices too.” 

“There’s no need!” There was a loud voice at the door of the auditorium. A man with light brown hair stood, glowing in the light. “With me here. No one has a chance.” He says, making his way down the stairs. 

Atsumu scoffs, and Hinata laughs. Sakusa simply wonders where his confidence comes from. 

He comes up to Akaashi, smirking. “Keiji. Good to see you.” Sakusa can see a sly smile on Akaashi’s face. 

“Good to see you too Tooru.” He looks up at him from his seat. “I see you haven’t changed since the last time I saw you.” 

“And you haven’t either Keiji.” Oikawa says. “Still the same quiet self you are.” 

“Oikawa, please sit down. You’re late, again.” Daichi says sternly, to which Oikawa nods and sits leisurely next to Atsumu. 

“I haven’t seen you around. You look rather familiar though. Are you new?” He asks the blonde, who nods. 

“Yeah. Completely new.” He smiles. 

“Sorry, do you happen to have a restaurant or something?”

“Me? Oh no, my br-” 

“Oikawa…” Daichi says. “Shut up.” The brown haired male zips it at the sound of Daichi’s angry tone. 

“Anyways. That’s all you all really need to know. And of course, wear appropriate attire for the competitions. See you when I see you.” Daichi says, sighing. He walks off the stage, Kuroo and Tsukishima following. 

Sakusa taps on Akaashi’s shoulder, whispering to him. “You know that guy?” Akaashi sighs and nods. 

“Sadly. That’s Oikawa Tooru. He’s insane at the piano.” Sakusa’s heart skipped a beat for a second. Akaashi Keiji, the best in Japan, was saying that this guy, a person Sakusa hadn’t even heard of until that day was really good? 

Suddenly, Kuroo comes onto the stage once more from backstage. He drags out an upright piano. “Here’s this guy.” He then brings out a bench. “Why not show everyone what you guys can do.” 

Sakusa didn’t like the smug look on the man’s face. He sat on the bench, looking straight at Oikawa. The bronw haired male smirks, slips off his jacket and waltzes onto the stage. 

He points to the blonde. “You. Since you’re new here, who do you think is the best player?” 

Atsumu looks at him confused, but then thinks for a moment. He looks at Akaashi. “Well to me, Akaashi is the best in Japan.” 

Oikawa scoffs at his answer. He makes his way to sit down at the piano. “Then clearly, you’re misjudging the size of the country.” He softly lays his fingers on the keys. “Japan’s a lot bigger than you think.” Oikawa then begins to play. 

And Sakusa sighs under his breath. This competition was going to be a lot harder than he thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not having a great day. I misspelled competition multiple times and tried to fix all of them, but if I missed some, sorry 😅  
> Hope everyone is having a great day!


	22. He Liked Miya Atsumu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “But Omi!” He yells. “I can’t choose an outfit! This is a disaster!”

He breathes in. A wave of anxiety fills him. Staring at himself in the mirror, he sees a lanky man staring back, beads of sweat on his forehead, the obvious expression of fear on his face. He was having a crisis. 

Atsumu couldn’t choose an outfit. 

“Can you stop pacing back and forth in front of the mirror. It’s getting annoying.” Sakusa complains to the blonde. 

“But Omi!” He yells. “I can’t choose an outfit! This is a disaster!” 

“Atsumu.” Sakusa looks up at him from his phone. “This is like the 6th outfit you’ve tried on.” 

“Awww, Omi. You counted?” Atsumu spins around and smirks at the other. 

“Oh please.” Osamu says, opening the door of the hotel room. “Atsumu usually tries on like 20 before deciding on one. This is nothing.” Komori laughs, following behind him. 

“How was explorin’ Tokyo?” Atsumu says to his brother. 

“Ya mean whatever of Tokyo that was outside of our hotel? Kinda borin’.” Osamu says, laying down on the bed. 

“Well at least ya got to go out and get some fresh air. Hopefully we’ll all get to explore before we gotta leave.” Atsumu says, slipping off his outfit. 

“We need to wear nice attire.” Kiyoomi states. “Why don’t you just wear a suit or something.” 

“I mean I could, but I only have one. Shouldn’t I save it for later?” The blonde says, rummaging through his clothes again. 

“Whatever is it, please just choose something already.” Sakusa sighs, throwing his phone onto the bed. “I’m getting hungry. Let’s all go out to eat somewhere.” 

“Why? Cause I look good in everything Omi?” Atsumu says, hand on his hip and everything. 

Sakusa shakes his head. “Stop making things up and hurry up and choose something.” 

The competition was tomorrow morning, and Atsumu, being the heavy sleeper, and hating to wake up early in the morning, knew he wasn’t going to be able to choose something nice the next morning. 

“Okay okay. Gosh so bossy today Omi.” The blonde smiles, a little jump in his step. “Where do ya wanna eat anyways. I’ll get changed so you guys can pick.” He walks into the bathroom, a pile of clothes in his hands. 

“Anywhere you wanted to go?” Sakusa shakes his head. “Wait, do they have a place that sells onigiri near here?” Osamu smiles brightly at the male. 

“I sure hope so.” 

“You really like onigiri don’t you.” Komori asks the gray haired twin. 

“It is my favorite food.” Osamu says, sitting down on one of the beds in the room. 

Atsumu made his way out of the bathroom. “Favorite food.” He scoffs. “More like an obsession. That’s all we really eat to be honest.” 

“Well if you compare Osamu to Kiyoi’s old habits, then Osamu’s seems much better.” Komori says. 

“Please no.” Kiyoomi sighs, head in his hands. “I don’t think I’ll ever eat a sandwich ever again.” The group laughs at the male, Komori patting his back. 

“Me too Kiyo. I hate them now.” 

“So where are we goin’?” The blonde asks. He peers out the window, watching people walk around on the street. “Have ya decided?” 

“Nope. Sakusa is undecided.” Osamu explains. “We could always just google a place.” 

Komori searches for a restaurant on his phone, and after a few minutes, he finds one. “This place sells a lot. Shall we go here?” Komori shows his phone to the group. 

They nod in response. 

\------

Kiyoomi hated public places. We know this, we’ve been over this. But today, the large crowd didn’t really matter to Kiyoomi when his hunger stood a chance against his fear of crowds. The restaurant they decided had been one of the best rated restaurants near them, and seeing as the website said it wasn’t that expensive, the group unanimously agreed to go there to eat. Kiyoomi just went because he looked up the menu and saw umeboshi onigiri, but that’s besides the point. Here he was, out to dinner with Atsumu once more. 

And his cousin and the blonde’s twin too, but Sakusa decided to ignore that fact. He had been thinking about this for a while. The sudden increase of beating in his chest whenever he was with Atsumu, the fact that the blonde was all Sakusa really talked about nowadays, and how Kiyoomi couldn’t stand looking into his eyes for too long, scared that he might reveal something. Sakusa was correct in his suspicions. 

He liked Miya Atsumu. 

He thought back to when he first met the blonde at the recital, the way he hated him back then, envious of his raw talent and passion for the instrument Sakusa had spent years to perfect his playing. And then he thought about how much the two had been through. Those mornings that turned into afternoons that turned into evenings, spent with the blonde in front of the piano. The times where Atsumu cleaned things for Sakusa to make him feel comfortable. Times where Atsumu was there to calm him down from the anxiety. 

He fell pretty hard, didn’t he? 

Sakusa looks at the blonde, sitting next time. He blushed at the way Atsumu’s mouth curved up into a smile as he laughed at something his brother said. Sakusa thought he was beautiful. He wondered if he would ever come to tell him himself. Would he ever tell Atsumu? Did Atsumu like him back? 

“What the-” Kiyoomi looks up at Osamu, his face astonished. 

“What’s wrong Osamu?” Komori asks the twin. Osamu points at a figure near the front of the restaurant. 

“That’s the guy I was tellin’ ya about the other day.” 

“What? The one who just gave ya that money?” Atsumu turns to look at the male at the door. 

Sakusa sneers as he catches the face of the male. His light brown hair shining in the lights above, and his silly little laugh seeming to ring around the restaurant. 

“Oikawa Tooru.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI! I feel like I'm making Oikawa seem like a villain in here, so I'm here to clarify: He isn't :') or at least I'm not intentionally doing that. Don't worry, we get to see a lot more of him in the upcoming chapters and of course throughout the competition. 
> 
> I'm posting another SakuAtsu soon :) it's completely different from this one but I came up with the idea last week! But dw, it won't distract me from Duet :)
> 
> Hope everyone is doing great!  
> Thanks for reading!


	23. He Liked Sakusa Kiyoomi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> under the bright moon and stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to say thank you all for 100 kudos!  
> Hope you enjoy!

“Well well well!” The brunette had found them, making his way over to their table, another male by his side. “Looks like I’ve come across some of my fellow contestants.” He says, a smirk on his face. 

Atsumu was the first to speak up. “Evenin’ Oikawa. How are ya?” Oikawa smiles at the blonde. 

“Good. I’m doing fine and dandy. And well would you look at that.” He points to Osamu from across the table. “I knew you looked familiar. You’re that hunk fighting his boyfriend at your restaurant aren’t you?” Osamu coughs. 

The male next to Oikawa smacks the back of his head. “Hey. You’re making them uncomfortable.” 

“Ow. Iwa-Chan that hurt.” The brunette pouts at him. 

He looks at the groups and bows slightly. “Sorry about him,” He says. “I’m Iwaizumi Hajime.” 

“My boyfriend!” Iwaizumi rolls his eyes at the brunette and looks up at the table. 

“It’s nice to meet you guys.” 

“Nice to meet you too!” Atsumu says. “I’m Miya Atsumu, that’s my brother Osamu, that's Komori Motoya, and this,” He grabs Kiyoomi’s arm. “Is Sakusa Kiyoomi.” 

“You guys are playing like Tooru in the competition?” Iwaizumi asks. Atsumu nods. 

“Komori and Osamu aren’t though.” 

“Yeah I’m not really the classical music guy.” Komori says. “Last time I touched the piano, Kiyo almost bit my hand off.” Kiyoomi glared at his cousin at the sound of his name. 

Oikawa laughs. “It’s okay I understand. I don’t even let Iwa-Chan into the same room as the piano when I’m not there too.” 

“Why don’t you two sit with us? We can all talk.” Komori suggests. Kiyoomi sighed. He just wanted to comfortably talk with Atsumu, maybe even flirt for a bit, but the blonde seemed happy about the extra company, someone else to talk to. 

“Sure!” Iwaizumi and Oikawa went to get some more chairs. Dragging it over to the table, Kiyoomi glares at the couple as they sit down. 

“So, are you guys excited for the competition.” Oikawa asks Atsumu. The blonde nods, grabbing a drink from a waitress who made their way over. 

“I haven’t actually competed a lot before, I usually just perform, so this is kind of exciting.” 

Oikawa smiles. “Well I’m glad that you’re able to find enjoyment in it.” He reaches for his cup as well. “A toast to us musicians?” He takes a glance at Kiyoomi, holding the cup out to him as well. 

The male reluctantly picks up his cup of water, holding it up next to the blonde. “We’ll all do great!” Sakusa sips his water after holding his cup up with the others. He eyed the blonde, happily conversing with Oikawa, talking about something random. Sakusa sighs, drinking the rest of his water. 

\------

The group began to leave the restaurant, Oikawa and Iwaizumi splitting from the four in the front. “It was nice talking with all of you.” Oikawa says, he turns to Sakusa and Atsumu. “See you two tomorrow.” The brunette and his boyfriend wave. 

It was already late out, the moon lighting up the sky. Kiyoomi looked up at it as the four walked. In the front, Osamu and Komori were talking, and laughing about something. Behind them was Kiyoomi and Atsumu, completely silent. 

Atsumu noticed their steps were in sync. Right foot, left foot, they were walking at the same exact pace. He looks towards him, Sakusa’s face still looking at the sky above. Atsumu smiles. From the beginning, the blonde knew he had a thing for Kiyoomi. Sure, at the beginning he hated his guts, jealous of his immense talent at the piano, hating the way he tended to glare at the blonde for no reason. But as much as he hated these small little habits of Kiyoomi, he found so many more things he loved more. 

Mornings where he saw Kiyoomi, fresh out of bed, his voice quiet and scratchy, the curls in his hair messy due to bed hair. The afternoons sitting at the piano, Sakusa softly touching Atsumu’s fingers that were softly placed on the keys. Evenings spent listening to music together in silence, forgetting what time it would be. He loved the feeling of Sakusa’s hand in his - the warmth it brought. 

Looking forward, Atsumu lowers his hand to Kiyoomi’s, slipping it onto his with ease, intertwining their fingers. Sakusa felt a spark go through his body feeling the warmth of Atsumu’s hand. He looks at the blonde. “Are you worried about the competition?” Atsumu looks at him, seeing the other glance down at their hands. He smiles and shakes his head. 

“Do I need an excuse to hold your hand? I just...wanted to.” The blonde quickly looks forward, trying to hide his blush. Nonetheless, he smiled rather big. Sakusa blushed too, but he knew he couldn’t help but want the same thing too. 

And as the two walked together back to the hotel that night, under the bright moon and stars, Atsumu knew what that certain feeling he felt inside. 

“The sky is pretty today.” Sakusa says, looking back up at the sky. 

“Yeah.” The blonde says softly. “Yeah it really is.” 

He liked Sakusa Kiyoomi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The conversation between Oikawa and everyone is rather short I apologize, but I want to focus on all the contestants more later :)  
> Thank you for reading!  
> Hope you're doing well!


	24. Keiji vs. Tooru

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakusa wonders who would win between the two today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any excessive typos in this chapter. The lack of sleep is catching up with me!   
> Hope you enjoy nonetheless!

The weather was nice. Of course it was cold as usual, but as Atsumu slipped on his outfit for the first round of the competition, peering up at the bright sun, he smiled happily. He could just feel that it would be a good day. The blonde woke up relatively early, considering the actual competition wasn’t going to be until the afternoon. 

Sakusa on the other hand would not get out of bed. It was as if the two had switched personalities. “C’mon Kiyo. You always get up early, especially on competition days!” Komori was not having it. He was confused on why he wasn’t getting up. Even if the competitions he went to was at night time, Kiyoomi always woke up so early. “Kiyo. Seriously?” He pulled the blanket off of his cousin, who responded by throwing his pillow at him. 

The curly haired boy grumbled, rolling out of his bed. “What time is it?” Komori pointed to the clock that was above him. “It’s literally 11 AM. You never wake up this late.” 

Sakusa hums. This was true, he always woke up early. The only reason why was that he always slept early. But the night before hadn’t been that great for him. The blonde piano boy was all that was running through his mind. He couldn’t find a way to stop thinking about him. His laugh and voice was all he could hear. 

Komori had since disappeared when Kiyoomi finally managed to get out of bed and get ready for the day. The sun was shining brightly. He knew it would be a good day, but he didn’t seem to know why. He bruhsed his teeth, every single tooth as clean as they could be. He slips on his freshly ironed button-up, and pulling up his pants, he hears voices at the door. It was the blonde. “Omi! C’mon, we’re goin’ out for lunch before we get to the auditorium.” 

Sakusa sighs. Looking in the mirror, he caught a glimpse of the bags under his eyes. Was ahe really ready for the competition today? He threw on a mask, tossing a few packs of hand sanitizer in his pocket, he got his bag and went towards the door. 

He took a deep breath. He peered at the time on his phone. 11:30 AM. 

He opened the door. 

“Well there ya are!” Sakusa was stopped in his tracks, the blonde standing right in front of him. “I never gotta wait for you Omi! You usually gotta wait for me.” Atsumu went closer to him, peering at his eyes. He noticed the slight annoyance he had in his eyes. “You okay?” 

Kiyoomi huffs, but nods nonetheless. “Just tired.” His voice was still a bit scratchy. 

And Atsumu loved it. He felt as he would combust if Sakusa would continue to act as cute as he was now. The cute way his eyes squinted when Sakusa yawned, he just couldn’t get enough. 

“Let’s just hurry. If we get there early then maybe there won’t be that many people there yet.” 

The four of them walked out of the hotel. “Is the event usually crowded.”

“I mean it is the biggest competition in Japan.” Sakusa says. “When I went a few years back, there were tons of people.” 

Atsumu tried to imagine a younger Sakusa, possibly in high school, playing for the competition, the awkward way he probably walked up onto the stage, nervous as ever. The blonde laughed to himself, shaking his head at a confused Kiyoomi when he looked over. 

Lunch was relatively quiet for Sakusa and Atsumu, listening to Komori and Osamu continue to bicker. “No, chocolate pudding is better. Yer just dumb.” Osamu crossed his arms, while Komori gasped at the twin. 

“No! Tapioca pudding is better! Chocolate? Really Osamu?” Komori huffs, he looks to his cousin, who was simply munching away on some onigiri. “Can you believe him Kiyo? I’m right aren’t I?” 

“I haven’t tried pudding so I wouldn’t know.” Sakusa takes another bite out of his food. The blonde gasps. 

“Ya- ya haven’t had puddin’?” Atsumu was shocked. He probably ate pudding three times a week, and that wasn’t even as close to as much as Osamu ate. Sakusa shook his head. Were they really surprised? Had they forgotten about his set out meal plan from before? 

Komori hums. “It’s good Kiyo. I promise. Especially the tapioca kind, not the chocolate.” 

“Really?!” Osamu yells. 

\------

Sakusa was wrong. There were a lot of people lining up at the doors of the auditorium already. He adjusted the mask on his face, and stuffed his hands into his pockets, feeling the container of hand sanitizer he put in there that morning. Walking into the building, Sakusa felt a certain aura. Different from the other times he had made his way in. Even with all of the people, something in him was keeping his heart at ease. 

Atsumu and Sakusa had left Osamu and Komori behind, knowing that they had to make their way backstage first. “You’ll do great!” Komori had yelled to them. 

Atsumu took one last look at the sky before running inside. He couldn’t help himself. The sun was shining bright. He smiles. 

Sakusa ran next to the blonde in silence, while Atsumu himself was rather a bit loud. They were late, to be blunt. They spent too much of their time joking around at the restaurant. Now they were stuck in this situation. But they admit it could be worse, at least they were in the building. 

Finally, they were backstage. Huffing, Sakusa looks up to Akaashi, who hands him a water bottle. “You two look exhausted.” He laughs. 

Hinata hands Atsumu a bottle too. “Yeah!” He laughs, patting the blonde on the back. “You two had a marathon on the way here?” 

Sakusa rolls his eyes, but Atsumu laughs along with them. “Lost track of time I guess.” Atsumu explains. “Who’s going first again?” 

“Oikawa. He’s getting ready in the bathroom.” Akaashi points to the door to his right. Tension soon filled the air. Akaashi would be going after Oikawa, and knowing of their intense competition with each other, Sakusa wasn’t sure how it would end up. Where would he place? Where was he in all of this? 

“Omi? I think I’m after Hinata.” Atsumu says, showing him the setlist. 

The orange haired male ran up to them. “What?” He grabbed the paper. “That means I’m after…” he points to Akaashi. “Oh frick.” 

Well of course Hinata’s situation was nerve wracking. To be fair, Akaashi was known in all of Japan as one of the greatest pianists, and then of course there was Oikawa. How was he supposed to play calmly after two of the most known pianists in the country? 

Akaashi shakes his head, ticking at Hinata. “Don’t mind the order.” He says, flipping through his sheet music. “We’re all here because we’re all good. Don’t make it seem like I’m somehow better than all of you because people happen to know my name. We’re all musicians, we’re all talented.” 

Hinata nods, Kageyama coming up behind him. “Excpet I’m a crap ton better than this guy.” He points to Hinata, who angrily shouts back at him. 

“Yeah right! I’m way better than you Bakeyama!” Sakusa rolls his eyes. They were loud again. 

“What did you say?” 

“C’mon everyone.” Oikawa had exited the bathroom. “Show’s about to start.” He had that sly smile on his face again. Sakusa’s anxiety began to rise. 

There was a sense of pride as Oikawa walked past the group. He seemed completely calm. The brunette raised his hand, now pointing at Akaashi. “I’m gonna beat you today, Keiji.” 

“We’ll have to see, Tooru.” Akaashi’s face wasn’t as deceptive and cunning as Oikawa’s but Sakusa could feel the immense amount of anger revolving around Akaashi. 

The brunette stood at the outskirts of the stage. Sakusa hadn’t even noticed that everyone was already seated. He peered out, searching for his cousin and Atsumu’s brother. They were sitting in the middle of the audience, whispering something to each other. 

Daichi makes his way across the stage, stopping in front of a mic in the middle. “Welcome everyone!” The crowd claps. Kiyoomi could see people standing in the back and the sides of the audience, no more seats for them to sit down. “It’s wonderful to see so many people here. Today is the first round of the Annual Japan Piano Competition.” Sakusa decided to stop paying attention to Daichi, once he had started to explain the rules and requirements of the rounds. It was information he already knew. Atsumu on the other hand couldn’t take his eyes off of Daichi. The excitement bubbled in the blonde. Of course, he was anxious too, it being the biggest competition he had ever been to, but he felt excited to play the piano more than anything. 

“Omi. Are ya ready?” Atsumu says, turning to the other.

Sakusa faces the blonde, his eyes soft. “Yeah. I am.” 

“Please welcome our first contestant: Oikawa Tooru, of Kyoto Prefecture.” Kiyoomi watches as Oikawa struts onto the stage, and as he bows, there's a roar from the audience. It was expected, Oikawa was known and was an audience favorite. He sits down in front of the piano. 

Oikawa looks up for a moment, closing his eyes. He whispers something to himself. He turns to the audience, eyeing his boyfriend, Iwaizumi Hajime. He smiles. 

Turning back to the front. He places his hands on the keys. They were cold. There were so many different reasons why Oikawa always liked playing first for competitions. First, the ability to wow the audience, being the first made sure that he would be able to bring the audience in, no matter who came after him. Next, the amount of stress it would give the rest of the players. He knew of his talent, Oikawa was good. No, Oikawa was great at the piano. It was hard to compare, so when he heard Akaashi would be going after him, he was ecstatic at the thought of being able to compete with him head on. Finally, the feeling of the cold keys, being played for the first time that day. The best feeling. The first to play. 

Sakusa peers at the setlist again. 

‘Oikawa Tooru: Etude op 10 no. 1 - Chopin’

He recognized the piece. It was something he had played himself a long while ago. Since they were supposed to play a piece that represented themselves, Sakusa thought that the piece was just the right amount of extravagant for the male. 

Oikawa begins to play. It rocks the audience. Some people turn to look at him now, leaning in, their attention all on him. It was like a bomb went off. As soon as the brunette began playing, all eyes were on him. Sakusa was nervous now. Would he be able to bring in their attention like Oikawa did? He began to understand the male’s constant smirk stuck on his face. He had an ego, but for good reason. It never occurred to him that the music he played could have interested people around him. As he looks closer, he can see the brunette’s face - he’s smiling. 

Even as Oikawa walks off the stage, finished with his piece, the eyes are glued to him. Sakusa can see stars in their eyes. He turns to the blonde. He could see stars in his eyes too. 

The brunette walks up to Akaashi first as he comes back. He’s smiling, a sense of pride in his steps. His hand on his hip, he looks at the black haired male face to face. “Your turn Keiji.” 

Akaashi doesn’t look away from him for a moment, looking at his eyes. He laughs, his eyes shooting to the floor. “So it is.” 

Sakusa can’t imagine having that much confidence. He wouldn’t be going until after Hinata and Atsumu, but his heart was still beating fast, and only the first performance had happened. What was he supposed to do? 

Now Akaashi? He was more than ready to go on stage. The male quickly walked past the brunette, glancing back at him with a smirk. As soon as Daichi called for Akaashi, he could hear the boom of the audience. Akaashi looked right at the audience as he walked out, a small smile on his face. He bowed, and looking back up, he could see Bokuto waving at him like crazy. Akaashi had to hold down a laugh. His boyfriend had always been so supportive of his career as a pianist, and somehow was able to find a seat to watch him in the front row. He felt luckier than anyone else in the world. 

Sitting in front of the piano, Akaashi was thinking about his posture. How was his back, was it straight? His hands, were they relaxed? His elbows, were they lowered? It had become a ritual every single time he played. His posture was important, as it was to every pianist, but somehow checking it over for himself was calming. He breathes in and breaths out. Looking down at his feet, he sees how dark the piano had made the wood flooring of the stage. He traced his eyes to the end, where the light had been able to touch the floor. 

HIs eyes went back to the task at hand. He took a while choosing the piece for the first round. After looking at the setlist, he saw that another contestant was playing a piece from the same composer. Typically he would be nervous. Having another contestant play from the same composer as him was always nerve wracking, almost a declaration of war. But Akaashi knew his only personal competition of that day was going to be Oikawa. Like it had always been. 

Without thinking further, he began to play. 

Sakusa wonders who would win between the two today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ACTUALLY REALLY LIKE AKAASHI AND OIKAWA'S DYNAMIC.  
> So uh, surprise. I added this to a series, because once Duet is finished, I'll be making side stories for other pairs in this series! I already have plans for Iwaoi, Bokuaka, and Kagehina. Deciding if I want to do an OsaSuna, but I'll let you know!   
> This chapter was actually going to be a LOT longer, but I decided this may have been the best way to stop here.   
> HOPE YOU LIKED IT!  
> Thanks for reading!  
> We will pick right back up on Akaashi's performance next chapter!


	25. Why Did You Start?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I never told ya either, did I Omi?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO MANY THINGS HAPPEN IN THIS CHAPTER IM SORRY WKFKJDBF

Sakusa was pleasantly surprised. In his mind, he had wondered for a while what Akaashi would decide to play for the first round. He never thought he would choose one from Debussy. It was one of Sakusa’s favorites. 

La Plus Que Lente, Claude Debussy. 

It was a calm piece, definitely something that reminded Oikawa of the male. The two had known each other for a long time, constantly taking part in small competitions with each other. 

Playing the piano was always calming for Akaashi. He tended to get anxious every now and then. Yeah sure, he was one of the best in Japan, but Akaashi was still human. The fear of messing up would always lurk in the back of his mind. He never understood why everyone always feared him. He was just like any other pianist. Like the way Hinata was scared of how he was playing after Akaashi and Oikawa, there shouldn’t be any worry. He knew how talented Hinata was, so there shouldn’t be anything for him to worry about. 

They were all talented. 

Though, that didn’t mean Akaashi was determined to win. Not just against Oikawa, but with everyone else as well. He was persistent. His hours and hours spent practicing wasn’t going to go to waste. He was going to win. 

The only problem was - that was what was in everyone’s mind too. 

Oikawa was always prepared to win, especially if he was against Akaashi. Kageyama was about the same. He really just thought about winning, his natural talent usually allowing him to do so. 

Sakusa and Atsumu, well their reasons for wanting to win were a bit obvious now. 

Hinata wanted something more than winning. He needed to prove something, for himself and for the people watching him. 

So as Akaashi walked off the stage, Hinata took a deep breath, ignoring all the stress surrounding him, and got ready to play. He had gone over the piece a million times at home, and since arriving at the auditorium, he had gone over it a million times in his head. Akaashi’s piece was finished, and the crowd was screaming, cheering for him. It was like a rock concert. 

Tsukishima scoffed at the audience. This isn't some rock concert. 

It was Hinata’s turn. He was right after Akaashi, but for some reason, it burned him on the inside when Akaashi had come off stage, completely ignoring him, and simply walking straight to Oikawa. But he had no time to be annoyed. He had to wow the crowd. To play like it was the last time he ever would. 

As Daichi called for him to go next, the orange haired male faced the audience. There he was, the center of their attention. He’d show that he earned it. 

And as Sakusa watches as Hinata sits down in front of the piano, he swears under his breath now eyeing the setlist. 

Arabesque No. 1 - Claude Debussy 

It wasn’t that Sakusa thought it was an impressive piece. It wasn’t that he thought he might lose to Hinata because of this piece. It wasn’t even because he was scared of losing at this point. He watches as Hinata starts playing. 

It was because Atsumu loved that piece. 

Jealousy wasn’t a thing that Saksua enjoyed partaking in. He thought it was childish, a way to avoid simple conversation. But he couldn’t help feeling hurt seeing the way Atsumu’s eyes glowed watching Hinata play. Looking at the blonde, he saw how he was completely mesmerized by the way the other male was playing. He thought back at the way he was explaining the piece to him a few weeks earlier. How much he loved that piece. How much he loved listening to the piece. His heart hurt a bit. 

Atsumu had stars in his eyes again. Sakusa wanted those eyes to be on him. He was being selfish, sure but he just couldn’t help it. Without thinking, he slipped his hand onto Atsumu intertwining their fingers, relieved that his eyes turned to him once he did. 

“Ya nervous?” The blonde asks him. Saksua shakes his head. 

“Do I need a reason to hold your hand? I just want to.” Sakusa looks away from him. He had said the same thing the blonde had told him before. He was blushing. 

Atsumu was blushing too, but he smiled brightly. 

As for Atsumu, he wasn’t feeling particularly nervous about playing. He wanted to win of course, but he was more excited to play the piano than anything. It hadn’t even crossed his mind at how Hinata was playing Arabesque No. 1, at least not the way Sakusa thought it had. 

“Are you nervous?” Sakusa whispers to the blonde. Atsumu shakes his head. 

“I just wanna play.” He explains. “I’m kinda… excited if anythin’.” Sakusa tilts his head at the blonde. He didn’t really understand, his anxiety usually got him really bad whenever he was competing. 

Sakusa nods. 

It feels like forever passes before Hinata is finished playing. At some point, the two had stopped talking, and Atsumu had gone back to his eyes being glued to Hinata on the stage, the only difference being his hand on Sakusa’s. 

As Hinata walks off of the stage, he catches a glimpse of Atsumu and Sakusa’s hands, smiling to himself. He runs up to Kageyama once he reaches backstage. “Did you see that Kageyama? Wasn’t I so good?” The male was hopping in front of Kageyama, whose arms were crossed and head turned to the side. 

“I didn’t see anything.” 

“Don’t lie!” 

Akaashi quickly went to quiet the two, while Oikawa and Yamaguchi just laughed. 

Everyone turns to Atsumu, Sakusa quickly slips his hand away before anyone could notice. “Guess I’m next.” The blonde smiles and pats Kiyoomi’s shoulder before he walks closer to the stage. He sees Daichi stand in front of the audience, microphone in his hand. 

“Okay ladies and gentlemen. Next up we have a new contestant to the competition this year. He’s been gaining a bit more attention lately for his immense talent at the piano, here we have next: Miya Atsumu, playing Waltz No. 9 in A - Flat Op. 69 by Chopin.”

Taking a deep breath, Atsumu walks onto the stage. He hadn’t played in front of an audience in a while, him and Sakusa taking a small break after their duet. It’s a familiar feeling, walking across the stage and then coming to sit down in front of the piano. He gets comfortable in his seat, stretching out his arms and hands. Taking a glance at the audience, he sees a familiar face. Someone was looking at him, his phone in his hand. Atsumu could see the blonde tips of the male’s hair. It was Kenma. Kenma had shown up. 

Atsumu smiles to himself. He looks up at the lights above him, colorful to his eyes. He places his fingers on the keys. It wasn’t as cold to the touch as he wanted them, but he was okay with it. Going over the piece again quickly in his head one more time, he feels ready to play. 

He begins. 

He had played the piece multiple times before. His favorite thing to listen to, now becoming his favorite thing to play. Sakusa watched the eyes of the audience as he started playing. He followed them to the blonde. And then he realized how he couldn’t take his eyes off of him either. His eyes were glued onto the blonde, watching the way his hands danced across the keys. He felt empty. The last time they were onstage, they had played together. Now, they were playing by themselves, a prize they were both chasing in front of them. He wanted to be there with Atsumu, sitting next to him, and dancing with him. Making music with him. It wasn’t fair. 

Atsumu could feel a sort of spark at the tips of his fingers as each one pressed down on the keys. He was playing it well, and he hadn’t messed up yet. No, he was not going to mess up at all. That’s what he promised Kiyoomi, and to himself. Those days of practice weren’t for nothing. It wasn’t only him just flirting with the male. Sometimes. 

He could clearly hear the music coming out of the piano. It was beautiful. Atsumu was making that. Atsumu was making music. He sighed in relief. Was it good? Were people listening? He imagines back to when he had first begun piano lessons, the amount of talent that overflowed in him. He had made quick advancements to get where he was now, and he knew he still wasn’t the best. But for some reason, that was okay. What Atsumu wanted was much more than the money, much more than the silly little title of “Best in Japan”. 

What Atsumu wanted was to share his music. Share his story. He needed the money, yes of course. He’d always wanted to help his brother out with rent and food money. 

But playing the piano wasn’t about the money. At least it wasn’t like that for the blonde. 

Sakusa’s eyes were glowing. The lights above Atsumu seemed to be getting brighter every second he played. He was falling for him again. A blush rose to his cheeks as he watched him, a smile on his face. Hinata walked up next to him. 

“Miya’s really good huh.” Hinata says. 

Sakusa nods. He didn’t need Hinata to say that to know it was the truth. Atsumu was really good. He was great at the piano. And not to mention, he loved playing it a lot too. 

“Have you known him for a while?” The male asks him. Sakusa wishes he could just ignore him, he wanted to watch the blonde. 

He wondered what was considered “a while”. He had known Atsumu since that concert they were both performing in back at the end of December. That was about four months ago. Four months ago? Thinking about it, Sakusa felt he had known the blonde for longer. 

“Yeah.” He says flatly. His gaze never left Atsumu on the stage. He couldn’t tell what Hinata was doing, but he could sense that he was smiling for some reason. 

Atsumu was finished. Bowing to the crowd, he felt something a bit missing on the inside. Playing the piano was always too quick for him, he just wanted to go back and play more. His hands were craving the touch of the piano keys, even after he had just played. 

Atsumu ran to Kiyoomi once he was out of view. He cheers quietly. “I didn’t mess up this time!” Kiyoomi smiles at him, and he nods. “Kenma’s here too.” 

Kiyoomi gives a pat on the blonde’s back. “Nice job.” Atsumu smiles. 

“Your turn now Omi.” Atsumu grabs some wipes out of his bag, and makes his way back on the stage. 

“Atsumu, wait!” Sakusa whispers loudly. 

But it’s a bit too late, he was already on his way. Atsumu wipes the keys of the piano, and goes down to the seat to wipe too. The people in the audience and even Daichi look at him confused, but nonetheless, Daichi continues on as if he wasn’t there. Komori smiled softly at Atsumu. He was rather fond of Atsumy now. Sure the blonde was unbearable sometimes, his personality being as loud as his hair, but Komori knew that he cared a lot for Sakusa, so he looked past all of it. 

As for Sakusa, it was hard to hide the blush on his face. The people backstage were looking at him like he was crazy. “What’s he doing?” Oikawa says. 

“Should he be on there?” Yamaguchi asks. 

“Is he cleaning the piano?” There were a a few murmurs in the crowd. 

“For me.” Sakusa quiets them down. Everyone in the back looks at him. 

“What?” Kageyama asks. 

“He’s doing it for me.” Atsumu was quickly on his way back, running straight to Kiyoomi. 

“It’s clean Omi.” He was smiling at him. “As much as I could make it at least. But you should be okay. Just let me know if I should come out again and clean a bit more. Omi? Omi, it's your turn now. They’re callin’ for ya.” Atsumu was shaking him a little bit now. “Omi? What’s wrong? Are ya scared? Don’t be! You’ll do great! I’ll-”

Atsumu was cut off, and Akaashi gasps as he watches Sakusa wrap his arms around the blonde. Atsumu is stiff, he doesn’t move for a moment before he hugs Sakusa back. He feels warm. 

Sakusa isn’t really sure what has come over him. He rarely ever hugged anyone. The next few moments are fast, a quick squeeze in Atsumu’s arms, his quick pace onto the stage, his awkward bow to the audience, and the stiff way he makes to sit down in front of the piano. Nothing felt nostalgic. Everything felt different. And it was because of one, small thing. 

Sakusa Kiyoomi hugged Atsumu. 

He hugged Atsumu. 

He wishes he never let go. 

Now, he had to get his mind back on the task. He checks his hands, they were in the right position. He checks his feet, firmly placed onto the wooden flooring. Surprisingly, Kiyoomi felt really relaxed. He was ready to play. 

Waltz No. 14 in E minor - Chopin

Ever since the moment Atsumu had put the piece on and showed him, Sakusa knew that it was perfect for him. He wasn’t really sure why, but he assumes the feeling in the song reminded everyone of him. 

Atsumu found a sort of sophisticality when he heard the piece. He watched as Sakusa played the piano. He smiled. Kiyoomi smiled too. He looked like he was having fun. And Atsumu was lost in his thoughts. He had fallen hard for Kiyoomi, that much was obvious to him. Just a few months ago, he hated the man. Now, he couldn’t imagine his life without him. Before, Atsumu barely knew anyone who played piano. Kiyoomi had happened to be the first friend he had who also played the instrument. He happened to be the first person he’d ever fallen for too. 

Kiyoomi’s heart was racing. 

He was playing his heart out onto the stage. He glances over at the blonde, seeing him simple at him. It just makes his heart feel even lighter. 

It was over as soon as he was finished. He felt the same, a sting in his fingers as he left the stage. He felt numb. He craved to press his fingers onto the keys again. 

“Omi!” Atsumu says as the other walks backstage. “That was amazing!” He’s whispering but it was obvious that he was excited. 

Sakusa’s face goes soft at the sight of the blonde’s smile. His face curls into a soft smile as well. He pats Atsumu on the head. “Thanks.” 

There were only two contestants left. 

\------

Oikawa had invited the whole group out to dinner. The results of the first round wouldn’t come out until the next day, so Sakusa and Atsumu were feeling a bit relaxed. “You know I won’t lie.” Oikawa starts off. He was already drinking. “You two played really good today.” He points his bottle at Atsumu and Kiyoomi, Sakusa of which just stared back awkwardly while Atsumu’s eyes glowed at him.

“Ya really think so? Thanks Oikawa!” Atsumu takes another sip of his own beer. Sakusa wasn’t one to drink a whole ton, having his own Shirley Temple at his side. He would never admit it, but Sakusa had recently found out that he had a bit of a sweet tooth. He particularly liked cookies, he got to try some once arriving in Japan, and he had been hooked ever since. Sakusa was currently trying to build the strength to ask Atsumu’s brother if he knew how to bake. But currently he was trying to find the strength to leave this dinner Atsumu basically dragged him to. 

Him and Oikawa were talking and giggling along with Hinata, who also seemed to be getting a little drunk. Komori wasn’t even there to talk to him, going back to the hotel early to get some rest, and Osamu was busy conversing with Akaashi and his boyfriend. So Sakusa was stuck on his phone, mindlessly scrolling through random posts on Instagram, when he had noticed. 

He wasn’t following Atsumu on Instagram. 

The male quickly searched up the male’s name and found the account rather quickly, and holy cheese balls was this a bad idea to look at in public. He was blushing at random photos of Atsumu on his account. He scrolled through, seeing a bunch of random photos of him throughout the year and coming across some of him shirtless at the beach last summer. Man how he couldn’t wait until summer to see that for himself. He clicked to follow the blonde, and once he did, Atsumu took out his phone. 

The blonde frowns at his phone and then looks to Kiyoomi. “Omi!” He whines. “Stop going on Instagram. You should talk with all of us.” 

“Yeah Sakusa!” Oikawa says. “I’m not too boring, I promise.” 

Sakusa grumbles, but after seeing Atsumu’s big pout he sighs and turns to face everyone. All the people at the table seemed to be drinking except for him, Akaashi, Yamaguchi and Kageyama. The rest of them were loud. Way too loud for Kiyoomi. Of course he had gotten used to Atsumu’s loud voice, but having it like five more times wasn’t very fun. 

“So. How did everyone even get into piano?” Oikawa asks the group. 

Akaashi sighs. “I started because a cousin of mine did.” 

“Thats it Keiji? Really? That’s kinda boring.” Oikawa states, taking a big swig of his drink. 

He rolls his eyes. “And why did you start playing Tooru? I highly doubt the reason is any better than mine.” 

“Well,” He starts off. “I started because someone in my school showed it to me.” 

“Oo! My turn!” Hinata yells. “I used to play violin!” 

Bokuto spits out his drink. “You what?” 

“Yeah!” The orange haired male says. “But then I met Kageyama, and he showed me how cool piano was, and then I swithced. I actually like it a lot more.” 

“Wow Shou. I never knew that.” Yamaguchi says. Hinata takes another sip before looking at him. 

“You didn’t? I didn’t tell you?” Yamaguchi shakes his head and sighs. 

“I knew you since we were in highschool and I knew nothing about it.” 

Hinata laughs and pats his friend’s back. “I promise I’ll tell you things from now on. Okay?” 

Yamaguchi nods and Hinata goes to his next victim. “Kageyama? How did you start piano?” 

The male’s arms were crossed. He shrugs. “My family all did piano. I just did it too.” 

“Really? That’s boring bakayama…” Kageyama goes to hit him but Hinata quickly dodges. 

“Well what about Yamaguchi? It’s the same as him.” He says. Everyone turns to Yamaguchi. 

He laughs awkwardly and rubs the back of his head. “Yeah. My family has been playing piano for years. I was kinda born into it really.” 

“Woah. That’s cool I guess Yamaguchi!” Hinata states. 

“Then what about me boke?” Kageyama was yelling again. 

Sakusa hated loud places, and he hated loud people. Well, aside from Atsumu which was pretty obvious now. But he was slowly losing his patience. 

“Guys. You should quiet down. Sakusa looks like he’s about to blow a fuse.” Akaashi had watched the scowl on Sakusa’s face, now trying to quiet the group down. 

Everyone just giggles. “Well what about you Sakusa?” Hinata asks. “I bet you’ve been playing for a long time. You were amazing today!” Saksuas blushes at the compliment. Atsumu puts his arms over his shoulder. 

“Yeah! Omi’s really good right?” There was a blush of red on his cheeks, and Sakusa laughed to himself. Atsumu was slightly drunk.

Everyone was looking at him. “I started when I was four years old.” He takes a   
big sip of his soda. “Started because a friend of mine did.” 

“Huh. His story is kinda boring too.” Hinata sighs. 

“Who hasn’t gone yet?” Yamaguchi asks, and Oikawa pats the blonde’s back. 

“We haven’t heard what you’ve got to say yet blondie. Well? When did you begin piano?” Atsumu hums, a dumb smile stuck on his face. 

Osamu looks at his brother wide eyed, but he stays quiet. 

“I started piano when I was like 18.” Atsumu takes another swig of alcohol. 

‘What?’ Sakusa thought. 

“When you were 18? Aren’t you like 21 now?” Atsumu nods at Hinata. 

“You’ve only been playing for three years? And you’re that good? That’s so cool!” Hinata exclaims. 

‘What?’ Sakusa thought again. Atsumu only started piano three years ago, and here he was, sitting with some of the best in Japan. 

“Yeah. Sorry.” Atsumu says, laughing. “You guys are a lot better than me, and there is a reason why.” 

But Saksua never thought that that was the reason why. 

“So why did you start? People usually begin when they’re younger.” Oikawa asks. 

Everyone at the table is quiet now. They were all looking at the blonde. 

“Why did I start?” Atsumu visibly starts to think. “Samu, can I tell them?” He looks at his twin brother, who looks back with sad eyes. 

He shrugs and looks away from him. “Do whatever ya want. We have to go back soon, so hurry it up.” 

Atsumu hums. He turns to Kiyoomi. “I never told ya either, did I Omi?” Sakusa can smell the alcohol in his breath. He was drunk. Would he remember telling everyone? 

“No. You didn’t.” Atsumu frowns at his friend. 

“Then I think I should. Shouldn’t I?” 

Atsumu begins to roll up his sleeves, thinking back to his teenage years. 

“The first time I listened to classical music, the first piece I ever heard was Waltz No. 9.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a few things:   
> \- For the rounds of the competition, to avoid too much confusion, I won't be writing the performances for all characters. For example, this time I did not write Kageyama's and Yamaguchi's  
> \- Results of first round will be revealed next chapter :) .... love you....  
> \- Next chapter is starting off with another flashback everyone :) (ATSUMU BACKGROUND HERE WE GO)
> 
> Hope everyone is doing well!  
> Thanks for 2K hits!
> 
> Thanks for reading :D


	26. I Want To Play The Piano

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atsumu never imagined living anywhere other than Hyogo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said that this chapter would reveal the winner of round one, but it is mainly a flashback!  
> Much apologies :')  
> Next chapter I swear

*Three Years Earlier*

Atsumu wasn’t particularly excited. Volleyball didn’t feel the same to him anymore. The feeling of the ball in his hands didn’t excite him the way it should have. Maybe it was because he was nervous? It was their first game of his final year in highschool. Osamu was in the kitchen, getting some food ready. 

“What’re ya doin’ on the floor?” Osamu asks, walking in. “Mom says we gotta leave soon Tsumu. Ya better get yer butt off of the ground.” 

Osamu had quit the volleyball team the year before, knowing that volleyball wasn’t going to make up the rest of his life. At the time, it was Atsumu’s present and future. He was going to play volleyball for the rest of his life, whether or not he was with his brother. Or so that was his original plan. 

“Yeah yeah. Just give me a minute.” Atsumu stands up and stretches. He wasn’t ready at all. Ever since Osamu had left the highschool volleyball scene, it felt a bit empty. His brother wasn’t there for him to yell at. 

Atsumu follows his brother out of the house. He was already dressed in his jersey, the cold material lay softly on his skin. It didn’t feel comfortable to him anymore, but it wasn’t particularly something harmful. 

“It's cloudy today.” Osamu says, walking down the steps in front of their home. Their mom was already waiting in the car. 

“Do ya think it’ll rain?” Atsumu takes a look at the sky. He’s wavering, and Osamu knows. 

“Maybe. But who cares. Ya guys will win today I already know.” He was putting a cooler of water into the trunk. After Osamu left, he decided to make food and pack drinks for the whole team. 

Atsumu hums, sitting in the back while Osamu accompanies their mother in the front. His brother looks back at him. “The weather doesn’t decide whether or not you win.” 

Atsumu sighs. “I guess.” 

They drove off. 

Atsumu never imagined living anywhere other than Hyogo. He grew up there, his whole life and family was there. Osamu had decided the year before that he would move away. He wanted to open a restaurant, to cook for people and have a sense of responsibility. 

Atsumu wanted to play volleyball. It was hard to imagine having a future so different from his twin brother, someone he was practically attached to the hip with. 

The blonde remembers it clearly, the day Osamu had told him he was quitting volleyball. It wasn’t something he was proud of. He remembers a lot of yelling between the two of them, punches thrown, insults tossed back and forth, Kita and Aran holding the two back. The twins were laughing about it the week after. But Atsumu, even now, was regretful. He missed seeing and messing with Osamu on the court. Something was missing. There was a lack of color in Atsumu’s eyes whenever he played volleyball now. 

His brother’s future was set. Osamu knew exactly what he was going to do. 

Atsumu? He knew too. He thought he did at least. 

Arriving at the gymnasium, the sky got a bit darker, only fueling Atsumu’s anxiety. Was it going to rain? 

“Okay c’mon. I can see the guys and Kita waiting.” Osamu drags his brother by the arm, bringing him into the gym and waving to their mom. “You guys are gonna do great. Ya always do.” 

This was the start of Osamu’s kinder nature. Of course he had always been a genuinely nice person, but it seemed like as time passed he became increasingly kinder to his twin brother. Less random jokes and rude remarks. Atsumu assumes it’s because he feels bad for leaving him behind. 

But it didn’t matter. 

What mattered now was the task at hand. 

There were already people sitting in the audience of the gym, the teams stretching and getting ready for warmups. Osamu leaves him. “I’ll be over here watching. Coach said that I could stay down here with you guys.” 

Atsumu nods to his brother, jogging over to the team. Kita was waving to him. “Atsumu! Hey.” He smiles on his way over. 

“Hey guys.” 

They were a team, whether Osamu was there with them or not. Volleyball was always a way for Atsumu to release stress. Whenever he was worrying about something, the feeling of the volleyball in his hands was calming. 

“We’re gonna win today guys.” Aran says. “I just know it.” 

Kita smiles and nods. “I don’t want to egg him on, but I feel pretty confident about today.” 

Atsumu obviously felt the opposite. He wasn’t particularly unconfident about his team. Inarkizaki’s highschool volleyball team was one of the best in the country, so he was sure the outcome would be alright. The only thing that he really worried about was his own playing that day. Was he ready to play today? There was something off in the way he stood, in the way he even breathed. 

“Atsumu. You alright? We’re about to start.” Akagi pats the blonde on the back. They already did warmups? 

“Yeah. I’m fine. Let’s go.” He doesn’t face the other male, now running towards the line. The team bows and they begin playing. 

Atsumu looks up before the referee blows the whistle. The lights above him shine relatively brightly, a boring tone of yellow in the light. Everything seemed a bit bland today and he couldn’t point out how or why. 

“Atsumu. It’s your turn to serve.” The blonde jerks out of his trance. Kita was handing a ball to him. “You alright? You look pale.” 

Atsumu nods. The crowd was loud. He could hear people cheering his name, people screaming for a point. He grabs the ball and walks back, taking his time with his steps. Turning around, now facing the net. 

“Nice serve!” Atsumu felt a little bit lighter. 

After all, volleyball was his go to whenever he was upset. 

He licked his lips, and tossing the ball up, he ran and jumped, slamming it down on the other side of the court. He can hear Osamu yelling in the back. 

He was starting to get into the groove. He’s not sure how many points pass by, how many sets they went through, but it was clear that Inarizaki was winning. There they were, set point for them, juggling to get the last point to win. Atsumu was on a high. He remembers why he loved volleyball so much. The rush of the game, the resistance of the air as everyone cuts through it, running to get that chance ball. 

And he isn’t sure how, and isn’t sure why,

but Atsumu will always remember the last time he was able to play the game. 

He remembers he was in the air, setting the ball to one of his teammates. The jump was off, and so was the set, but the team watches as the ball falls on the other side of the court. They had won! 

But when Atsumu hit the floor with a thud, no one could look at the scoreboard. There was a cheer in the crowds, but the team had all their eyes on their blonde setter who had collided with the ground. He isn’t sure if it was the way he jumped, or the slight slip in his feet right before he hit the floor, but all Atsumu could feel was pain. 

And with a look of worry, Osamu runs over to his twin brother, him clutching his knee with both of his hands. 

Atsumu catches a glimpse of the window outside, hearing his brother yelling his name. It was raining. 

Tears streamed down his face. 

\------

Days and months pass by before Atsumu feels ready to leave his house. The doctors didn’t want to admit it to him for the first weeks, but volleyball didn’t seem like a likely future for the blonde anymore. Osamu was the only one who took up Atsumu’s time stuck in his room. The blonde encased himself, lying on his bed, watching random youtube videos over and over again. He couldn’t get over the pain in his knee. Atsumu was allowed to go outside, given that he was in a wheelchair, or had crutches, but he didn’t feel like going outside would do him any good. 

Atsumu liked being active. He liked being able to go around on his feet, and his knee not throbbing every five minutes. Most of the rest of his highschool days were spent on his bed, trying new recipes made by Osamu, watching the same anime over and over again, and sleeping. Life in their home revolved around Osamu now. The soon to be chef, owner of a restaurant. The blonde’s future is unclear, now not having volleyball by his side. 

He still tried his best to catch up with the team events though. Inarizaki had gotten far for their last year, but it was hard to do what they usually could accomplish without Atsumu. “I’m really sorry Atsumu. But I know you’ll be alright. Yer a good kid.” Kita said to him when Atsumu was in the hospital. Kita had assumed that the blonde would be playing volleyball for the rest of his life, everyone did. 

So what now? Atsumu was stuck too. He wasn’t sure about what he wanted to do now. 

There were multiple times where Osamu had tried to find something for him to do. “You’re always been good at…”, “how about…”, “don’t you like to…” Osamu would always start, but never could finish. Atsumu had spent his highschool years perfecting volleyball, nothing else seemed really interesting to him now. 

“You could always help me out with the restaurant while I’m starting up and until ya figure out what ya want.” Osamu suggested. 

Atsumu was getting antsy. He didn’t want to intrude in his brother’s plans for becoming independent. He didn’t want to lean on him. But when Osamu had told everyone that he had planned to move to Ichikawa, he felt the sudden worry of missing his brother by his side. Should he go to Ichikawa with him? 

Did he want to go to Ichikawa? 

“It won’t be forever. Just until ya find somethin’ ya wanna do.” Osamu explains. “Just think about it.” He was thinking about it. Ichikawa was so different from Hyogo, not to mention so far away from the friends he had made there, and the majority of his family. But then again, Osamu was going to be with him. 

School was boring for Atsumu. His last year of high school was spent trying his best to keep his grades up and watching the volleyball team practice. Nothing relatively exciting happened. 

Except for that one day. 

Atsumu remembers the day he passed the music room at his highschool. He was still in crutches, making his way down the hallway, side by side with his brother. He passes by the music room. Atsumu had never actually stepped foot in that room, nor has he ever had any interest in it. 

The blonde looks at the door in interest that day, hearing music coming from the other side. 

“What?” His brother asked him. “Why’re ya lookin’ at the music room?” Osamu taps his brother on the shoulder. He wavers, but doesn’t respond. “Well if ya wanted to check it out, ya could have used yer words.” His brother goes to open the door. 

And at that moment, Atsumu’s world burst into color. 

He watches as the boy sitting in front of the piano glides his hands across the keys. Atsumu was mesmerized by the music, by the sight. Without realizing it, he leans in closer, listening to the music emitting from the instrument. He hadn’t really seen or listened to the piano in his lifetime. He didn’t realize how colorful it made the world seem. 

“Uh. Are you okay?” The boy at the piano stares at the blonde in confusion. Atsumu hadn’t even realized the music stopped. 

“Uh. Yea! Sorry.” Atsumu says, laughing awkwardly. “What were ya playin’?” He asks the boy. 

He smiles at Atsumu, holding up the sheet music. “It’s called Waltz no. 9 in A Minor. By Chopin. It’s really good.” 

Atsumu wobbles closer to the boy. “It is really good. Yer really good at piano.” The boy smiles at him. 

“Thanks! I’ve been playing for a little while.” The boy laughs, pressing some of the keys. “Do you want me to… show you some stuff?” 

There’s stars in Atsumu’s eyes as he nods eagerly to the male. Osamu laughs. “I’ll leave ya with each other. See ya later Tsumu.” His brother waves, and makes his way out of the room. 

Atsumu shuffles to sit at the piano bench. It’s unfamiliar territory. Music was never something he was interested in, so touching the cold piano keys for the first time sent a particular spark down his spine. He was excited. 

“You can press the keys.” The boy assures. 

Atsumu looks down at his hands. He presses down, and almost flinches at the sound coming out of the instrument. He never realized how easy it was to make the sound come out. He presses the key again, and again. 

The boy laughs, “You really like A don’t you?” Atsumu looks at him confused. “You’re playing A, and the one to the right of it is B.” 

The blonde looks back, he plays B now, and his eyes widen in astonishment. 

The boy laughs again. “I can teach you if you want.” He says, holding out his hand. “I’m Terushima. You’re Miya right? From the volleyball team?”

The blonde nods. “If ya don’t mind. I’d love to try it out.” Terushima motions for the blonde to place his hands on the keys. He sits next to him. 

“So this one, like I said before, is A, and then B is next to it. It keeps going all the way until it reaches G, and then starts over. See how it looks the same as the A before?” Terushima explains. 

Atsumu gasps, and points at the keys. “Why not do the whole alphabet? What do they have against M?” 

Terushima laughs. “You’re only saying that because that’s the first letter of your last name.” 

“Okay fine, maybe.” Atsumu breaks out into laughter with him. 

Atsumu spends the rest of his break talking with Terushima, bringing him closer and closer to his own personal desire to play the instrument. 

Even when he’s finally in the comforts of his home, he can’t get rid of the itchy feeling in his hands, yearning to press down onto the keys of the piano again. 

“You’re been starin’ at the ceilin’ for a while. Thinkin’ about that blondie in the music room?” Osamu teases his brother, but Atsumu doesn’t say anything. 

Instead, he looks towards his brother, the bright stars in his eyes again. 

“I want to play the piano.” 

He smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how long it took me to choose someone for Atsumu's back story before I finally thought of Teru :')  
> Anyways, sorry for the longer wait! Just took an exam for my math class and the past few days have been so busy! But currently, I'm on break so I'm hoping that I'll be updating a lot before it ends!   
> Hope y'all liked this chapter :)  
> If there are some lingering questions, more will be revealed next chapter about how Atsumu got to where he is now. However, I will answer any questions anyone has. 
> 
> See ya next chapter!


	27. I Want to Do it Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Well what about the bet? Ready to play again?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Since it was a while back and I haven't had time to write, here's a small reminder - Kenma's bet with Atsumu and Sakusa was that if they were able to make him interested in piano again, then their book would be given to them for free. :)

Sakusa’s breathing staggered. He stared at the list hanging on the bulletin board in front of him. He woke up early the next morning compared to everyone else. Who could blame them? Half of them had gotten drunk anyways. 

Sakusa hadn't placed. 

He read over the names again in his head. 

1st place - Akaashi Keiji  
2nd place - Oikawa Tooru

His eyes moved slowly to the last line. 

3rd place - Miya Atsumu

Atsumu had placed. 

Atsumu had placed. 

Atsumu had placed. 

The phrase was ringing over and over again in his head. It wouldn’t stop. 

Atsumu had placed. 

But Sakusa didn’t. 

Akaashi had appeared in front of him. “It’s a shock really.” He had said to the male. “It’s hard to believe Atsumu started around three years ago and he’s already that good. It’s insane.”

“It is.” Sakusa was always aware that Atsumu had not had the same amount of practice and experience as the others, but he didn’t know it was this far down. Three years? Three years, and he was able to place third? 

“But don’t forget.” Akaashi says to him, “this is only the first round. They judged on something specific. It’ll be different next time.” Akaashi looks up at the list, and he smiles to himself. “I better get going. If Tooru finds out that I won this one, he might declare war right here in this lobby, and I’m not awake enough for that.” Sakusa nods, waving goodbye to the yawning male as he walks away. 

There was no doubt, Sakusa was overjoyed for Atsumu, his hard work had paid off. But at the same time, what did this mean about him? He had been playing the piano ever since he was a young boy, and Atsumu had beat him in a landslide. 

Was he cut out for this? 

“Omi?” Sakusa turned abruptly, facing the blonde who had walked in. 

So let me set the scene. 

Sakusa was standing in front of the corkboard, eyes glued to the list of winners. 

Atsumu was walking in through the revolving doors of the building, yawning since he had just woken up. He sees the other standing alone in front of the board. He calls out. “Omi?” 

And then, he turns, and Atsumu feels as if it’s a scene straight out of a movie. 

The curls on Sakusa’s hair floating slightly to the sides, above his head as he turns to face the blonde. He’s not sure if it’s the sunlight shining in from one of the windows above, but Atsumu is mesmerized. He knew Kiyoomi was beautiful, but maybe this was the first time he was actually able to appreciate that beauty. That one single moment. 

Sakusa doesn’t even say anything as he points to the corkboard in front of them. 

The winners. He rushes to see the results, expecting to see Kiyoomi’s name plastered there. 

Instead, he sees his own. 

Atsumu turns to face Sakusa, his jaw practically dropped to the floor. 

Osamu follows Komori in. “Are the results posted? We should all get breakfast. It’s really early.” Komori says. Osamu stiffens seeing Atsumu’s stance. 

“Tsumu? What’s wrong?” His brother points to the board in awe. 

Komori is the first to yell. “Atsumu!” He turns to look at the blonde, hands on his shoulders. “You, you placed!” 

Osamu looks at his brother, finding it difficult to let go any words out of his mouth. Instead, he goes to hug him. 

“Atsumu! Congratulations!” Komori is really the only one who was talking now within the group. The lobby was rather busy, yet all Sakusa could see and hear was the twins crying and hugging, and Komori yelling his head off in excitement. 

Komori is the second one to hug Atsumu. “How do you feel?” Osamu was still sniffling, rubbing his eyes. 

“I-” Atsumu starts. He’s dazed. “I feel amazing.” His eyes widened. 

“I placed!” The blonde throws his hands up in excitement. “I placed!” He repeats. Atsumu can feel the tears welling up in his eyes. Sakusa smiles softly at the boy. He opens his arms out to him. Hugs with Atsumu were normal with him now. 

“Omi! I did it! Are ya proud?” Atsumu asks, coming over to squeeze Kiyoomi, to which the latter squeezes back too. 

“I really am Atsumu. You did amazing.” Sakusa lets go, smiling widely, not really seen by the mask covering his mouth. 

So many things were running through Atsumu's mind. The thought that he was finally able to help his brother in paying for their lifestyle was the single most best thing that had ever happened. The thought that he was able to place in such an esteemed competition was something that he would never forget. The thought that Kiyoomi was smiling for him, proud of him that he had gotten something for his hard work, was something that made his knees a little weak but lets ignore that part. 

As they left the building, high hopes in their heads, Atsumu and Sakusa stumbled upon a familiar face. Him with his dyed blonde tips, he faced the two, waving at them and smiling softly. 

“Kenma!” Atsumu yells, dragging Kiyoomi along to see him. “We saw you at the competition!” The blonde was waving at Kenma. Kenma was smiling. 

“Yeah. I told you guys I would be there didn’t I?” Sakusa thought that the male sounded tired, seeing how quiet he was, but wasn’t sure if this was simply just the way he was. “I think you guys did… amazing.” There was a small blush on his cheeks, hiding behind his long hair. 

“Why thank you!” Atsumu says, all bubbly. He points to Kenma now, who flinches. “Well what about the bet? Ready to play again?” 

Kenma is a bit quiet before he answers. “Keep the book. It’s yours.” 

“That means-” Sakusa starts, but Osamu and Komori were losing patience, especially Osamu. 

“Can you two hurry it up? I wanna eat already.” Osamu grumbles, arms crossed. He was angry, and obviously hungry. 

“We’ll text ya later Kenma.” Atsumu says, waving him goodbye. Kenma smiles, and waves back. 

The male continued to wait for someone in front of the building. He wasn’t srue how long he had waited, his game on his phone taking up all of his attention. 

“Kenma!” There he was. Kenma turned to face the male who had called out his name. 

“Kuroo.” He says quietly. The male walks in front of Kenma, panting from running seconds before. 

“W-why, why didn’t you tell me you were coming to Tokyo?” He asks him frantically. “I could have picked you up?” 

“I was in Ichikawa. It wasn’t that far.” Kenma complains. “How was the competition?” 

“Well I thought it was great,” he says. “There were a few new people.” 

Kenma hums. 

They stay still for a moment, both of them looking up at the clear sky. Kenma doesn’t remember the last time he had woken up that early. 

He faces Kuroo. “Kuroo.” 

Kuroo wasn’t used to Kenma starting conversations. He nods silently. 

“I want to do piano again.” He states. 

Kuroo’s eyes go wide. He looks across the street, up at the sky, down at his feet, and then back at Kenma, who wasn’t even looking at him. 

“You do?” he says. “Why?” He knew Kenma didn’t like doing a lot of things again that had bored him. 

“I’m not completely sure.” He says. A smile comes across his face. He turns to look at Kuroo, who was now blushing. “I just really want to do it again.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ITS BEEN SO LONG IM SO SORRY!  
> I've been especially stressed for the past few weeks. School isn't going really well, and I'm just dead lol...  
> BUT it's okay. Of course I will always try my best to update as frequently as I can, but updates will be inconsistent obviously.   
> There was not much note on Sakusa's reaction to the results, but it will be more in depth next chapter. 
> 
> Hope you all are doing well nonetheless! I miss being able to write this in freedom, without the thought of school stressing me out in the back of my head. 
> 
> See ya later :)


	28. Never Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And Kiyoomi thinks: Did Atsumu ever smile like this when he was with him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)

Sakusa’s mind was cluttered, per usual. He couldn’t think of anything, nor did he want to. He was tired. 

“Omi?” Atsumu says. “Are you alright?” 

Sakusa looks up at the blonde. He didn’t realize he had been staring down at his two feet. How long was he doing that? 

Sakusa nods. 

“Ya sure? Ya have been quiet for a while now.” he says. “And you haven’t even finished your onigiri.” 

Sakusa looks down. He hasn’t. 

What was wrong with him? 

It wasn’t as though he was unhappy for Atsumu. In fact, he was thrilled! Atsumu had been working so hard to get where he was, and in such a small amount of time. 

But what about him? His mind kept bringing him back to the years he had spent perfecting his own playing. The years he took, ingraining notes, scales, pieces into his brain. The way he took the time to polish his performance. 

And he didn’t place. 

It hurt him, clearly. It wasn’t that he was mad at Atsumu, but mad at himself. What was he doing wrong? What did Atsumu have that Sakusa didn’t? 

Atsumu looks at him. He could tell there was something off about the male. It was nerve wracking. Had the blonde done something wrong? 

“Yeah. I’m fine Atsumu. Don’t worry.” Sakusa was lying through his teeth. 

And Atsumu knew. 

But he didn’t do anything about it. 

Why? Because someone had come up to their table. 

“No way.” Atsumu says. His eyes were wide, and no longer on Kiyoomi. “Teru?” 

There was another blonde standing next to the table, smiling down at Atsumu. 

“Hey Tsumu!” He says. “Sorry, I don’t mean to disturb your meal.” the male bows to everyone. 

“Don’t worry about it Teru.” Osamu speaks up now, a similar smile on his face. 

Sakusa was fully engaged now. He wasn’t sure how long he had been spacing out. 

“Omi, Komori, this is my old friend Terushima.” Atsumu motions to the blonde slightly. “He’s the one who taught me piano.” 

Kiyoomi was disinterested. 

“Nice to meet you!” he says. “Terushima Yuuji.” Sakusa could see something in his mouth. 

‘Was that...metal?’ He thought. 

“No way!” Atsumu says. “Did you get a tongue piercin?” Terushima nods happily. 

“I did. Told you I wanted to get one before didn’t I?” Atsumu nods. 

“Ya look hot now.” He says. Sakusa feels a pang in his chest. He pushes the feeling away. 

“What’re you saying? I always looked hot.” He says. “Anyways Tsumu, this your boyfriend?” He points to Kiyoomi, who was looking at him boredly. 

Atsumu laughs awkwardly. “Heh. No, he’s not.” He says, motioning towards Kiyoomi. “Just a really good friend.” 

‘A really good friend. Yeah’. Sakusa sighs in his head. As much as he was disappointed, they were really just friends.   
“What a shame. Looks like you were in love with him for a second there.” Terushima says, rubbing the back of his head. 

“So what are you doing in Tokyo?” Osamu asks. “I thought ya moved to Miyagi before we graduated?” 

Terushima nods. “I did, but I’ve been traveling since actually.” 

“Traveling? What do ya mean?” Komori asks. It seems as if everyone is engaged now. Sakusa rolls his eyes when no one is looking. 

“Well ever since I was a kid I had always wanted to go to different places. I thought going a little smaller would work first before leaving the country.” Terushima explains. “I’ve been in Tokyo for a while now. Helping a friend out with some stuff, so this trip had been a lot longer.” 

“That’s really cool Teru!” Atsumu says. “Do ya buy anything for memories?” 

“I ain’t as sentimental as you are Tsumu.” He says. “But I did happen to buy something here in Tokyo.” He slips his hand into his pocket, now pulling out a keychain. “It’s a little silly, but I thought it was cute.” 

It was a rather small keychain, small enough to be covered by his hand when he held it. But Sakusa could see enough. It was cute, he was right. Sakusa wasn’t one to buy things of personal interest like a keychain, but it made him smile. 

“Ya like it Omi?” Atsumu's eyes were on him again. Sakusa nods quickly. 

“You play piano too?” Terushima holds up the keychain, the music note shining in the light coming from the window. Sakusa nods. 

“That’s cool!” He says. “Are you good? You must be if you’re with Tsumu.” 

The way Atsumu’s nickname rolled off of Terushima’s tongue annoyed Sakusa. It’s not like Terushima just owned Atsumu. 

“He’s amazing!” Atsumu says, making Sakusa blush. “He’s been helping me a lot! You should hear him play at some point.” 

Terushima looks at Sakusa. “I’d love to!” he says, holding out his hand. “Any friend of Tsumu’s is a friend of mine.”

Sakusa didn’t take the male’s hand. Atsumu did for him instead. Though, he was starting to regret his decision. Terushima squeezed hard at the feeling of Atsumu’s hand in his. Kiyoomi grit his teeth. 

“A pleasure meeting you too Terushima!” Komori says. “We’d love to hear you play sometime too!” 

“Yeah I’d love to. So where are you and Osamu around now?” Terushima asks the blonde. “Don’t tell me you’re living here in Tokyo.” 

Atsumu laughs. “No. Samu and I live in Ichikawa now. Whenever ya get the chance, ya should come by and visit!” He says. 

“That would be awesome! As long as Osamu is cooking for me.” 

“Yeah we don’t let Tsumu get anywhere near the stove anymore.” 

“I ain’t that bad!” 

The group bursts into laughter. 

And Kiyoomi thinks: Did Atsumu ever smile like this when he was with him? 

Why was it that Terushima was able to make him smile so easily. Was he more interesting? Better at piano? If he was the one who first showed the instrument to him, was he the one who brought that light to Atsumu’s music? What was Sakusa missing? 

“Well. I better be off. I’m supposed to be meeting my friend soon, but I’ll text ya later Tsumu. It was nice meeting you all.” The male warmly waves at everyone, then taking his leave. 

“He’s really nice.” Komori says. “And super funny.” 

“Yeah!” Atsumu says. “He hasn’t changed a bit! Still one of the best guys I’ve ever known.” 

Sakusa looks at the way Atsumu’s eyes have a certain glow to them when talking about Terushima. 

He had to admit. He was jealous. 

Jealous of the fact that Atsumu was able to get so far with piano, in such a small amount of time. 

Jealous that Terushima was able to make Atsumu smile in a way Sakusa hasn’t seen before. 

Jealous that he wasn’t enough. That he never was. 

Atsumu looks at him. “Omi?” He asks. “What’s wrong.” 

The curly haired male looks up at him, his head feeling heavier than usual. He tugs his mouth into a smile. 

“Nothing. I’m fine.” 

\------

It was around 7 PM when Atsumu was in his hotel room, his phone lighting up in the dark. The group had spent the day together, shopping nonstop when Sakusa decided to go back early because he said he was tired. Atsumu knew there was something wrong, but what could he do if Sakusa wouldn’t tell him? 

The blonde grabs his phone, and reading the caller ID, he quickly clicks to pick it up. 

“Suna?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONFLICT AND SUNA COMING BACK???? >:D  
> LOL  
> Hope you all are doing well!   
> Sorry this is another short chapter :(   
> But get ready for what's coming up next >:D   
> Love Ya!


	29. I Want to Fix This

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Osamu felt as if he was right in those photos again, the memories flooding his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THANKS FOR 3K HITS <3

Suna wasn’t aware how expensive things could be. He finally landed a job, working hard on photography, his passion in life. Suna was making money doing something that he loved. Yet his heart wasn’t in the right place. Something was clearly off in his emotions, and he knew it was because of the situation with Osamu. 

There was no doubt in his mind that he had feelings for Osamu. Ever since the day he met the gray haired boy at the store, he was head over heels for him. Even so, Suna wanted to be able to have a comfortable relationship. If they did start dating, would Suna have time for him - looking for jobs, dropping out of new ones each week. Would Osamu have time for him - being caught up with his restaurant, and taking care of Atsumu. He knew that if they simply just jumped right in, something might have gone wrong. He was scared that something would. 

So finding a job that Suna actually enjoyed doing gave him so much joy. Though, with Osamu continuing to ignore all of his texts and phone calls, was there a way to even get Osamu to talk to him again? 

Osamu on the other hand was missing him too. Of course he didn’t like ignoring Suna, he loved talking to him. He wanted to tell him all the adventures in Japan, how Atsumu had finally made some money off of playing the piano, how good the food was there, and how much really missed him. Osamu remembers the late nights and early mornings where he was texting or calling Suna. His whole schedule used to be based off of him. Wake up, call Suna, make breakfast during the phone call, drop off food at Suna’s. His life just seemed bland now. 

So when Atsumu mentioned going back home before the next round of the competition, Osamu debated on staying in Japan by himself. 

“Do we need to go back so early?” Osamu says. “We could always relax here for a few more days.” 

“Says the one complaining about having to miss too much work.” Atsumu teases his brother. “Besides, it won’t really make a difference. The next round is like two weeks from now.” 

“Which is why we should just stay here a bit longer.” Osamu complains. There was no way he was going to get the chance to face Suna this early. “I don’t mind missing more work.” 

“Is something wrong Osamu?” Komori asks. “All you were talking about before was when we would be getting home.” 

This was true. Almost every conversation they all had happened to have Osamu’s constant nagging to go home. So why was he so persistent to stay now? 

“Look Samu,” Atsumu starts, taking a big sip out of his milkshake. Sakusa rolled his eyes at how loud he was. “I need to go home to practice for the next round. It’s all about technique this time.” The blonde sighs. 

“Ah yes. The thing you happen to lack.” Sakusa says flatly, scrolling through nothing on his phone.

“Oh hush Omi.” Atsumu says. “But yeah, I need to practice, and on my piano.” 

“Well you could always go home and Kiyoomi and I can stay here with Osamu for a few more days.” Komori suggests. 

“No.” Kiyoomi says quickly. 

“I- what? Why not?” Komori says sadly. 

“I need to practice at home too. All of my sheet music is there.” Sakusa doesn’t look up from his phone. 

“See? Omi thinks it’s a good idea to go home for now too. We’ll be back eventually.” Atsumu says. 

Osamu hums. He did need to go back to the restaurant. They had been eating out basically the whole time while in Tokyo, and Osamu was itching to get cooking again. 

“Fine.” Osamu says. “But when we come back you owe me a bowl of noodles.” 

“Deal.” Atsumu says. 

Sakusa refused to look at Atsumu ever since that day. Well of course, he treated himself to small glances to the blonde when he wasn’t looking. But Sakusa couldn’t find it in himself to look the blonde in the eye. Atsumu was annoyed. 

“Omi? You’ve been ignoring me since yesterday… Why?” He was pouting at the male. Sakusa rolls his eyes. 

“It’s just in your head.” Sakusa says. They were all walking, on their way back to the hotel, getting prepared to go back home. 

“No it’s not. You’re quiet too, and you’ve barely been eating your food during meals. Are ya mad at me Omi?” Atsumu asks. 

Sakusa stops in his tracks. He looks at the blonde and puts a smile onto his face. “It’s nothing, really Atsumu.” 

The blonde pouts again. He holds Sakusa’s hand. “Ya know, you can tell me anythin’ that’s botherin’ you.” 

Sakusa squeezes his hand in response. “I know Atsumu.” He says. “I know.” 

The blonde smiles at him warmly. He could tell there was something off in the way Kiyoomi looked at him, in the way Kiyoomi spoke. But he had other things on his mind. For the moment, the thought of something being off with Sakusa slipped past his mind. 

All he could think about was Osamu and Suna. He talked to Suna for hours the night before, and going home on time was vital. 

Atsumu was done seeing Osamu so devastated about Suna. Now that Atsumu could make money for the two of them, and help Osamu out, he wanted him to finally settle down and relax. Enjoy life in Ichikawa like he wanted. 

“We bought too much crap.” Osamu says, looking at the multiple shirts he happened to buy during their time in Tokyo.

“You mean you?” Atsumu sneers. “You really like to shop Samu.” 

“You hypocrite, you like to spend money like crazy too.” Osamu snaps back. 

“Well I do whenever we can. It’s fun.” Atsumu smiles, packing things into his luggage. 

“I guess.” Osamu says. 

The two were quiet again. 

“Do ya think Suna will come and see us when we get home?” Osamu asks.   
“Maybe. Did he even know we left?” Atsumu was lying of course. He told Suna that they were in Tokyo, planning to come back before the next round of the competition. 

“I don’t know. I didn’t tell him anything.” Osamu says.

“Are ya gonna talk to him soon?” Atsumu asks. Osamu looks up at his brother. 

He ponders the possibility for a while. “Maybe. I’m thinking about it I guess.” 

“Well if ya want my opinion…” Osamu stops him. 

“Yer opinion sucks Tsumu. What kinda wisdom would you be able to share. You and Sakusa aren’t even datin’ yet.” 

The blonde blushes, but fires back. “Shut up Samu, and listen to me.” He says, crossing his arms. “Ya gotta talk to him eventually. Ya like him, he likes you. What’re ya waiting for now?” 

Osamu sighs. What was he waiting for? 

They were finally done packing up, and there was a knock at the door. Komori’s voice is heard from the other side. 

“We’re ready when you are.” He says. 

Ichikawa here they come. 

\------

It was sunny in Ichikawa. Similar to Tokyo of course, but the sun seemed brighter as Osamu was on his way home. The second the twins had come into the apartment, they dropped everything and laid on the floor. They huff and sigh. 

“Home at last.” Atsumu says. 

“Oh please, you loved Tokyo.” Osamu says. 

“True.” Atsumu gets up quickly. “Well, I have to go get somethin’. You’re gonna stay home right?” 

“Why the hell would I open the restaurant at 4 PM?” Osamu says. “Yes, I’m stayin’ here. Did ya want something for dinner?” 

“I’ll buy dinner on the way back, but enjoy sitting on the couch and watching television I guess.” Atsumu says, grabbing a small jacket, and heading to the door. 

“Hey, watching anime is very fun.” Osamu complains. 

Atsumu laughs and leaves, closing the door behind him. 

As soon as they got home, his brother was already out the door. Osamu relaxes onto the couch, switching on the TV and clicking on some anime. 

An hour later, he’s woken up by a phone call. 

It was his brother. “Samu! You won’t believe it! Something happened to yer restaurant. I was walkin’ past it! Ya gotta get over here.” This made Osamu rush out of their home, throwing on a jacket and driving to the restaurant. 

The sun was setting and the sky was still as clear as it was earlier that day. Osamu enjoyed the feeling of the small breeze, even if it was a bit cold. 

He rushed to the restaurant, which looked normal. Nothing really seemed different except for the fact that Atsumu and Suna were placed outside of the restaurant, Komori and Sakusa standing farther away, and closer to the door. 

“Why’re ya lyin’ to me now Tsumu.” Osamu huffs out, tired from running to them from his car. 

“Not true. I just twisted the truth slightly.” Atsumu pulls him towards Suna, who’s scratching the back of his head, slightly nervous. 

“Suna.” Osamu says flatly. 

“Osamu.” The gray twin could feel a tingle go through his body as he heard his name come out of Suna’s mouth. It had been a while since he heard his voice. 

“Suna, I-” But the male stopped him. 

“No. Let me start first.” He says. He clears his throat and looks at the male straight in the eye. “Osamu. I like you, a lot. You mean the world to me.” 

The sun was beginning to set. The orange, and pink of the sunset coloring the sky nicely. 

“I like you too Suna. A lot, really.” Osamu says. Suna takes the male’s hands. 

Suna smiles softly. “I just wanted to make you happy.” He says. “You always dreamed of having a great restaurant, and you do. Though, seeing you struggle everyday to keep up the restaurant by yourself, and having to pay the bills every now and then. I didn’t want to stress you out.” 

“Suna.” Osamu squeezes the male’s hand. “You’d never stress me out. I love being with you. If anything, you calm me down!” The two laugh. 

Atsumu thinks he’s about to cry. 

“Well either way. I wanted to be someone you can lean on for once. You shouldn’t have to do everything by yourself.” Suna says. “I got a job. And I really like it actually.” 

Osamu beams at him. “Suna! That’s amazing.” 

“Yeah. I’ll be set now.” he says. “And I wanted to give you a surprise.” 

Osamu looks at him confused. “I always tell you never to get me anything.” 

Suna laughs. “I know I know.” The male takes a look at the sky, taking a deep breath, he looks back at the male. 

“I want to fix this. To fix us.” He says. “Osamu. I’m so sorry. I should have just asked you out. Try out dating, and work out anything that could stop us.” 

“I’m sorry too.” Osamu says. “I should’ve talked to you more. Understand where you were coming from. Why this all even happened. Instead I just ignored you.” 

They smile at each other warmly.

Sakusa thinks it’s like a scene straight out of a movie. 

“I’m not trying to buy your forgiveness, please know. This was on a whim. I just wanted to get you this. I’ve been thinking about it for a while.” 

Osamu sighs as Suna pulls him towards the entrance of the restaurant. “Oh gosh now yer scarin’ me.” 

Atsumu laughs at his brother. “Close yer eyes dumbass.” 

Osamu complies, and he feels the warmth of the restaurant hit his body. He relaxes. 

Suna places him carefully in front of the present. He goes to stand in front of it. “Open now.” 

And what Osamu sees is absolutely insane. His eyes can barely believe it. Though, he is a bit confused on why there was a grand piano placed at the corner of his restaurant, his brother sitting in front of it, Suna standing to show him. 

“What?” He says. 

“Surprise.” Suna smiles. “I’ve been thinking about live entertainment for the restaurant. I think it would help bring customers in.” 

Osamu looks at it. “Yer insane, ya know that?” 

“Maybe a little bit.” Suna smiles. “It’s kind of boring, but there’s more, I promise.” 

Osamu laughs. “Are ya kiddin’? The fact that ya bought a grand piano for my restaurant is insane Suna. Don’t say that.” 

Suna laughs. “Yeah yeah. Just sit down already, will ya?” Osamu nods, and finds a random seat. Sakusa and Komori were seated together not too far away from them. Osamu looks at them. 

“Did you two know about this too?” He asks. 

“Not until Atsumu told us about it.” Komori says. “Can’t believe I almost made us all stay in Tokyo for longer.” 

Sakusa laughs. “At least Atsumu and I are pretty persistent.” 

Suna walked and stood in front of the piano. The lights dimmed, and as Atsumu started playing the piano, a video began to place. It was projected onto the wall in front of Osamu. The twin’s eyes widened. 

Sakusa knew the piece well. He listened to it a lot. 

Gymnopéde No. 1 by Satie. 

Atsumu played it wonderfully. 

Osamu gasps at the videos on the screen. There were old videos and photos of him ever since he first came to Ichikawa, all taken by Suna. 

He was an amazing photographer, Osamu felt as if he was right in those photos again, the memories flooding his head. He feels some tears run down his face. He was happy. 

Suna begins to speak. “Osamu. I like you. More than anything, I want to be with you, and make you happy.” He says. He wipes Osamu’s tears, now coming up to him. He grabs his hand. “Osamu, will you be mine?” 

And after a sniffle from Osamu, and another sniffle from Atsumu too, Osamu looks into Suna’s eyes. He’s happy. 

“Yes. I’d love to be yours.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUNA'S FINALLY BACK DSBSBFISB  
> So a few things:   
> Predicting this story to be around 40 chapters. Long I know IM SORRY WFJBDJSBFOF, however this may change!   
> Also, BokuAka story for this series is coming up soon!   
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)  
> I'm happy to be writing again!  
> Hope everyone is having a wonderful morning, afternoon, or evening!


	30. Devoid of Emotion, Devoid of Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cold feeling of the keys weren’t as comforting as they usually were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ehehe sorry...

Sakusa was fumbling. He had absolutely no idea what to play for the next round. What would get him to place? What would show off his years of hard work? What would beat Atsumu. 

No.

Sakusa didn’t want to think that way. He liked Atsumu, loved him even. The idea that Sakusa wanted to do anything he could to beat Atsumu felt wrong. But at the same time, it was as if there was a fire lit under him. 

He needed to win the next round. Or at the very least, place. 

“Omi!” Atsumu’s voice rang across the apartment. It feels like it’s been forever since the two had practiced together like this. “What do ya want for lunch. I would get ya onigiri from Samu, but he closed today to go on a date with Suna.” 

Sakusa shrugs at him, continuing to flip through his pieces. “Whatever you want I guess.” 

“Then I’m gonna order curry.” Sakusa pauses to look at the blonde. 

“Are you insane?” He snaps. “We just ate that in Tokyo yesterday.” 

The blonde laughs. “You said whatever I wanted.” 

“What about Komori?” Sakusa says. “Maybe he can cook something while we practice?” 

Atsumu pauses and looks at Kiyoomi, confused. “Komori’s at work today?” 

‘Oh’ Sakusa forgot. 

“Yer the one who told me Omi. Somethin’ on yer mind?” The blonde walks closer to Sakusa, taking a seat onto the couch next to the piano. 

“Why are you always asking? I’m telling you, I’m fine.” Sakusa says. 

“I know yer lyin’ Omi. Yer not exactly good at it.” The blonde says, crossing his arms. 

“Yeah whatever.” Sakusa snaps. 

The room was quiet, only the sound of flipping through pieces of music could be heard. 

“Have ya got a piece yet?” Atsumu asks. 

Sakusa rolls his eyes. “No. It’s not as easy as you might think it is.” 

Atsumu scoffs. “Then lemme choose one for ya.” 

“No.” Sakusa says. “I’m good.” 

“What do ya think? I can’t choose a piece or somethin’?” Atsumu says. 

“Well clearly the last one you chose wasn’t that good.” Sakusa says. 

The two were quiet again, Atsumu frowned. 

“Well maybe you just made it that way.” He states. Sakusa stood up to face him. 

“What?” He asks, glaring down at him sitting on the couch. 

Atsumu smiles up at him smugly. “Ya heard me. It was you.” 

“What? So you place for once in your life and now you just happen to just be a master at it now?” Sakusa spits out. 

“I knew it.” Atsumu says. “I knew there was somethin’ on yer mind.” 

“Yeah so what?” Sakusa says. “Why the hell do you need to know?”

“Well I’m yer friend Omi. I just want to be there for ya.” Atsumu says. “Are ya mad that ya didn’t place?” 

“Shut up Atsumu. Just stop.” Sakusa says, he starts making his way towards the kitchen, away from Atsumu. The blonde stands up and follows. 

“Why can’t ya just tell me?” Atsumu asks. “What? Are ya jealous of me Omi?” 

“I said shut up.” 

“But why-” 

“Atsumu!” Sakusa yells, now turning to face the male. “Fine. Maybe I am jealous. Why don’t you just go back to volleyball? Your damn leg seems to be fine now.”

“What? I want to play piano Omi. I can’t play volleyball anymore anyways.” Atsumu says. 

Sakusa was beet red now. “Well then why don’t you give the people who actually work hard a chance to have something.” 

Atsumu wasn’t happy. He looks at Kiyoomi, mad as he could be. “Who actually works hard? I fricking work hard Omi. Why’re ya so mad anyways? Is it really gettin’ to ya that I beat ya? Huh?” 

“Well maybe it is! Because why the hell would you win? You’ve only been playing for three years, I’ve been playing my whole life! And you aren’t even that good.” 

Atsumu was fuming, and so was Kiyoomi. They were yelling at each other now. 

“Yeah, says the one who’s been playin’ for years and all you can make come outta that piano is some borin’ ass music.” Atsumu snaps. 

Sakusa slams his foot onto the ground. “Get out. Get out of my apartment.” 

With a sarcastic laugh, the blonde walks out the door, slamming it shut. 

It takes Sakusa a moment to realize what happened. What Atsumu said, what he said. He sits on the floor, silent tears running down his face. 

And for the first time in a while, his world didn’t seem so colorful anymore. 

\------

Atsumu hated the rain. Osamu wanted to start the performances at the restaurant, but he didn’t know what had happened. 

“What do ya mean ya can’t come today?” Osamu asks. “We can’t just let Suna’s gift go to waste ya know.” 

Atsumu sighs. He didn’t want to make an inconvenience for his brother, but he had a feeling Sakusa would also be there today. 

“I mean I could come later?” Atsumu says. “Do I need to be there when ya open?” 

“What’s wrong with ya.” Osamu asks. It was like he already knew. “Anytime I give ya a chance to play for people, ya usually are in the car first.” 

The blonde hums at his brother. “I’m just tired today.” 

“Don’t be stupid. You can’t lie to me Tsumu. I’m yer brother.” Osamu taps his shoulder with a spatula. 

Atsumu looks at him. His brother was back to cooking every morning, a smile on his face. It was back to normal. Atsumu waking up, looking at his brother cooking breakfast for both of them, getting cups of coffee for each other. But he felt a pit in his chest, his heart hurt. The mornings were the same, but it was different at the same time. 

“Did you and Sakusa have a fight?” Osamu asks, making Atsumu flinch. 

“How did ya know?” the blonde asks his brother quietly. 

“Well you were home first yesterday. Usually if ya go out to Sakusa’s I’m the one waiting for you to come home.” Osamu explains. “So what happened?” 

Atsumu sighs. “I don’t even know.” His head is hung low, a frown on his face. “We were talkin’ and then we started arguin’ and everything went downhill. Next moment, he kicks me outta his apartment.” 

Osamu looks at his brother sadly. “Well what were ya talkin’ about?” 

“The competition.” Atsumu says. “The results really.” 

“What? Was he mad that you placed and he didn’t?” Osamu was glaring now. 

“I don’t know. But he was definitely upset about it.” Atsumu explains. “He barely talked to me about it too. Just ignored me.” 

“Maybe he’s just jealous.” Osamu sneers. “Shouldn’t he be happy for you?” 

“I mean I guess, but I see why he’s mad.” Atsumu says. “But it does make me mad. It’s not like I didn’t work hard and just happened to win.”

“Yeah!” Osamu was mad now too. “What? Did he say that?” 

Atsumu stays quiet for a moment. Osamu opens his mouth again. “That dumbass-” 

“Samu.” Atsumu says, now looking up at his brother. 

“What? Are ya really gonna defend him?” Osamu complains, crossing his arms. “I get ya like him, but he’s being a piece of crap right now. Ya know that.” 

“Yeah.” Atsumu says. He’s frowning again. 

“Jeez, yer taste in men is horrible.” Osamu says.

“Omi isn’t horrible!” Atsumu says. “He’s… he’s,” He can’t seem to find the words. 

“A person who is belittlin’ ya just because he’s done piano for longer.” Osamu says. “That’s stupid.” 

Atsumu sighs. 

He wonders what Kiyoomi would be doing. 

Sakusa wasn’t doing that well either. Rather than waking up later than usual, he didn’t even find the motivation to get out of his bed that morning. Komori already knew something was wrong. 

“Kiyo. What’s wrong?” Komori says, shaking the male. 

Sakusa grumbled and shifted a bit in his sleep. He didn’t say a word. 

“Kiyo. Kiyo.” Komori kept shaking him. “Ugh. At least promise me you’ll get up? I have to work today, and later we have to go to Osamu’s restaurant, remember?” 

Kiyoomi flinched at that. “Do I have to go?” 

“What are you saying? Of course you have to go.” Komori says, starting to pack up. “What’s wrong with you? It’s so late.” 

Kiyoomi once again stayed quiet. 

“No.” Komori says. “Don’t tell me something happened with Atsumu?” Sakusa stayed silent at the sound of the blonde’s name. 

Komori sighs. “I knew it. He wasn’t here when I got home yesterday, and you locked yourself in your room!” 

Sakusa shoves his head into a pillow. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Komori says. “You can always tell me if there’s something wrong Kiyo. We’re cousins.” 

The sound is muffled, but Komori is happy to hear Kiyoomi talking. “It’s complicated.” 

“And? I have time.” Komori says. 

“Liar. You have work, and I have to get ready for the next round.” Sakusa says quietly. He’s getting up now. “Go to work already. It’s nothing.” 

“It can’t be nothing if you’re refusing to get out of bed, Kiyo. I know you. This never happens.” Komori says. He isn’t convinced, nonetheless, he was already slipping on his jacket and making his way to the front door. 

“Yeah yeah. Just go, we can talk later. 

Well later wasn’t really good. Because there the boys were, getting ready in Osamu’s restaurant to play the piano for everyone. Atsumu didn’t spare a glance at Sakusa. It was as if nothing had happened to the blonde, he was smiling and laughing as usual. The curly haired boy just frowns under his mask, eyes peering off somewhere else. 

And as much as it didn’t show, Atsumu’s heart was racing. Even if it didn’t seem like it, every now and then his eyes glanced at Kiyoomi to see what he was doing. Oh how much the blonde longed to talk to Kiyoomi again. He missed being able to comfortably go over to his apartment whenever he pleased. 

Kiyoomi missed the blonde’s presence too. It had only been one day, but it felt like forever. 

“Yo!” A voice comes from the front of the restaurant, and Sakusa watches as Atsumu’s face bursts into a wide smile. 

“Teru!” He yells. The blonde runs over to Terushima, hugging him. Sakusa feels his heart clench. “I didn’t know you were coming over.” He says. 

Terushima laughs. “That’s the point of a surprise Tsumu. You playing piano today? Can’t wait!” He exclaims. 

“Yeah yeah whatever.” Atsumu says. “Just sit down. I’m almost done gettin’ ready.” 

Terushima nods and sits down near Komori and Sakusa, waving softly. 

Komori waves back, but Sakusa just pretends the male isn’t there. 

The group watches as Atsumu goes up to play the piano. He speaks. “Good evenin’ everyone!” He says. “I’m sure as you have noticed, we will have live entertainment here at the restaurant now!” he motions towards the piano. “We hope you enjoy it!” 

The blonde makes his way to sit in front of the piano. Stretching, he takes a deep breath and places his hands on the keys. For once, Atsumu felt sick to his stomach. He did not want to play. The cold feeling of the keys weren’t as comforting as they usually were. 

So when Atsumu finally did come around to playing, Sakusa frowned under his mask. The blonde was getting every note correct, not one note was out of place and the tempo was correct too. 

Though something was very off about the way Atsumu played, and Kiyoomi wasn’t the only one to notice. He looks around to see Osamu and Komori looking at the blonde with concerning eyes as well. 

As if he was forcing it out of the instrument, Atsumu frowns too. 

The music coming out of the piano was devoid of emotion, devoid of color.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Conflict >:D
> 
> This chapter was actually supposed to end at the end of SakuAtsu's argument, but I thought it was too short so :')
> 
> IF YOU'RE READING THIS, WATCH HORIMIYA ITS SO GOOD OMG SVKUBOUBAO  
> Just started it yesterday and I'm hooked. Literally obsessed
> 
> Hope everyone is doing well!


	31. When the Days Were Bad and When the Days Were Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever since he was a baby, Sakusa found joy in listening to his mother play the piano.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put at the top "A Long Time Ago" because I was lazy to do the math for how long it was, but it says Kiyoomi was four in the flashback, so I hope it's not too confusing!
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

*A Long Time Ago*

Sakusa Kiyoomi, age four, was obsessed with the piano. His mother was a musician, his father was an avid listener. It was no wonder that they were thrilled to hear that their son was accepted into the most prestigious piano school in their city. 

Ever since he was a baby, Sakusa found joy in listening to his mother play the piano. As a child, he would sit under the piano, watching his mother above have her fingers dance around the keys. He’d watch his father longingly stare at his mother as she played -- Sakusa wasn’t sure if he fell in love with his mother or her playing more. 

From the moment Kiyoomi was born, his life was filled with music. It took up every second of every day. His mother played piano every morning and every night. During meals they would watch performances of different musicians. And when going to bed, his eyes would close watching his mother at the piano once again. 

Kiyoomi remembers the first time he touched the piano. His mother cleaned it everyday, so he didn’t hesitate to press his fingers down on the keys. At the time, his parents weren’t home, and his siblings were busy resting in their rooms. He didn’t know any of the keys, or anything that was needed to actually play the instrument. Kiyoomi just played what he thought sounded beautiful. 

It was like a natural sense. As if he already knew how to play, his hands were pressing the keys in perfect order, rhythm, tone. When his mother and father came home and saw their child playing the piano, they were overtook with joy, admitting him to piano lessons by the next week. 

At first, things went smoothly. He had a fun time learning the keys and memorizing the different rules of the piano. It was the first time Kiyoomi made a friend too. 

Ushijima was a really good friend. 

He was always there for Sakusa when the days were bad, and when the days were good. When he was crying and when he was laughing. And when he was happy or when he was sad. 

Piano became a way for him to forget. Forget all the troubles he had at home, or at school. Forget the whispers his classmates made about him when he was cleaning his desk before sitting down. Forget the glares he got in the comfort of his home when he refused to go out. 

To forget. That’s why Kiyoomi played the piano. 

Then there came a time when he dreaded going to piano school. It wasn’t much after he had learned to play it. The joy began to suck itself out of playing the instrument. He found it a chore to press his fingers down on the keys. His teacher said he was doing everything wrong. Every note he played was in the wrong order, the wrong rhythm, the wrong tone, but to Kiyoomi, it sounded right. 

But his teacher pushed conformity onto him. Then things began to be ‘right’ to the teacher, but wrong to Kiyoomi’s ear. 

Years later, there he was, the last time spent in his childhood home. Komori had offered to Kiyoomi another room he had in his apartment in Ichikawa. His parents didn’t like it. They thought that he would be distracted from his work.

But Kiyoomi agreed, leaving what he saw as his home forever. 

Ichikawa was nice. Kiyoomi liked the weather there, and found that it was quite enjoyable to live with his cousin. Motoya was very flexible with Kiyoomi’s condition, and they soon became comfortable living with each other. 

And that’s when Komori noticed. 

The lack of color in Kiyoomi’s eyes whenever his hands pressed the keys of the piano. The way the male sighed after finishing a piece. Komori asked him. “Why do you play the piano?” Sakusa looked at him. 

“What do you mean?” His position at the piano was stiff, uncomfortable. 

“Well you must have a reason why you started playing, and why you continued right?” Komori says, now making his way to sit down at the couch near the instrument. 

“I don’t know.” Kiyoomi said. “Because I like it?”

“Really?” Komori questioned. “Doesn’t seem like you do.” 

“Then I don’t know.” The male scoffed. “Why does it matter?” 

Komori sighed. “Well why do something if you don’t even know why you do it. If you don’t know if you like it or not.” 

Kiyoomi crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. “I get the money to help pay for us to live.” He states, standing to leave the room. “That’s enough isn’t it?” 

But it wasn’t. 

So the next day, Komori put a poster on the table to show Kiyoomi. 

“What’s this?” He asked. 

“A recital.” Komori said. “You’re joining.”

“What? I don’t do recitals. They don’t pay the performers.” Sakusa argued. 

“And?” Komori crossed his arms. “I know your schedule. You don’t have anything to do that day. What’s there to lose?” 

“But-” Sakusa was cut off.

“Nope. Zip it. You’re doing it, and that’s final. If you really don’t want to do recitals after this, then that’s fine.” 

And after a few minutes of contemplating, Sakusa finally agreed.

\------  
*Present Time*

Kiyoomi lays on his bed in silence. He stares up at his ceiling. It’s cold in his room, he’s wrapped up in his blanket, and his phone sits on the table next to his bed. Kiyoomi is lost in his thoughts. Life seems empty without Atsumu. 

For the past few months, Atsumu had always been there for him. 

He was always there for when the days were bad, and when the days were good. 

There when Sakusa needed someone, wanted someone. 

Atsumu was a good person, a good friend. 

Kiyoomi wondered if he was a good friend too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shorter chapter, BUT I finally wrote Kiyoomi's back story!!  
> Note: So Komori was actually the one who forced Sakusa to perform at the recital in chapter one, thus having him first meet Atsumu in the first place, so thank you Komori :)
> 
> Hope you all have a wonderful day!


	32. No Need for Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His hand felt pretty empty for the past week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for any excessive spelling/grammar mistakes :')

The blonde wakes up in a jolt. He made multiple alarms for that morning. Osamu and Komori had planned out for the four of them to stay two nights at the same hotel without telling Kiyoomi or Atsumu. 

Yes, today was the second round of the competition, Atsumu learning just that morning that there were only two rounds left after this one. 

It was shorter than he had expected, but who was he to say anything. 

Going into the car was awkward. Atsumu sat in the front with Komori, while Sakusa sat in the back with Osamu. 

“You guys ready for today?” Komori says, trying to break the silence. The two males in question were staring out the window. 

“Sort of.” Atsumu says. “Kinda nervous.” He laughs. 

Sakusa glances towards him. When was Atsumu nervou? He was usually just excited to put his hands on the keys. 

“Don’t worry Atsumu.” Komori explains, “You and Kiyo will do great.” 

“Yeah.” Osamu says. “You both are great.” 

Sakusa hums. 

The rest of the car ride is silent. 

\------

They didn’t even sit next to each other in the auditorium, and they were getting some stares. 

Akaashi nudges Sakusa’s arm, “Did something between you and Miya?” He asks, motioning to the quiet blonde sitting by Hinata. 

Sakusa shrugs. “Yeah. I guess.” He wanted everything to talk to Atsumu again, to apologize, and he knew Atsumu would understand. 

It was the same with Atsumu. He wanted to be able to be with Sakusa again and he missed him.

“You miss him.” Akaashi states, “I can tell.” 

Sakusa nods. “I guess it is obvious.” From the constant tapping of his feet, the way Sakusa crossed his arms, and how he glanced at Atsumu every now and then -- Yeah, he missed him a lot. 

“It is.” Akaashi faces towards the stage now. “Why don’t you talk to him? It seems like he misses you too.” 

Sakusa hums. “I don’t know.” he taps his thumbs together. “I’m not that good at…” he pauses, “talking.” 

“You don’t need to be.” Akaashi explains. “I mean, Bokuto and I have had our fair share of arguments and fights before, and I was never really good at talking about it. It all depends.” 

Sakusa nods. He isn’t completely convinced, but he continues to longingly stare at the blonde from the other side of the auditorium. 

After what seemed like forever, the judges came onto the stage. 

“Hey guys!” Daichi says, waving to everyone. “Welcome back! We have our second round today. I hope you all are ready.” He explains. 

“Congratulations to our top three from round one, Akaashi Keiji, Oikawa Tooru, and Miya Atsumu.” Kuroo says. “You all did great, it was actually really hard to choose.” 

“Today is all about technicality.” Tsukishima says bluntly. “We’ll be paying very close attention. I’m not one to let things slide.” This was the first time the group heard the tall male even contribute in any way. 

“Calm down Tsukki.” Kuroo says. “They’re all gonna do great! Right guys?” He looks towards the contestants. 

There are a few murmurs, though it is not a surprise for everyone to hear Oikawa’s voice across the whole stage. “Yes! We are!” He says. “Like me!” 

He walks towards Akaashi, now pointing at him. “This time Keiji, no doubt about it.” He puts his hands on his and stands with a certain elegance, “I will be taking the gold.” 

Keiji chuckles and stands to face him. He nods. “I look forward to it.” 

Sakusa smiles softly at Akaashi. It was funny seeing such a timid guy like Akaashi be close friends with someone as outgoing as Oikawa. But then he remembers Atsumu. The bright yellow of his hair shining in the lights of the auditorium. The sound of his laugh whenever Kiyoomi dropped something by accident. The way his hand slid into his so easily, so perfectly. 

His hand felt pretty empty for the past week. 

Sakusa glances towards the blonde, and at the same time, Atsumu looks at him too. The blonde blushes at the sudden eye contact, turning away quickly, his heart rate getting higher by the second. Hinata looks at him with weird eyes. 

“Something wrong Atsumu?” He says. “You look really red. Do you need some water?” The tangerine boy handed him a bottle of water, Kageyama looking at him with concerning eyes now too. 

“I’m fine guys. Thanks though.” Atsumu says, grabbing the water. 

Ever since Atsumu woke up that morning, he felt a weird sensation of anxiety build up in him every now and then, and it didn’t feel very good. The first time was this morning. He got up early from bed, and got dressed, and when he made his way down to breakfast, he felt his heart rate pick up. It was something Atsumu was kind of used to, the feeling of getting excited always picked up his heart rate, and of course whenever he was near Kiyoomi, his heart would race too. But this time was different -- it felt like his heart was beating a bit too hard and a bit too fast. His breathing was a lot heavier too. 

Panic. 

As much as Atsumu was always excited to go and play the piano, even in competitions, he was feeling nervous. He knew it, remembering the feeling as something he had gotten a lot back when he played volleyball, it rising right before every game.

He never really panicked when playing the piano for crowds. Whether it was because he rarely ever competed, or was just used to the audience, he never actually got too nervous. So now, here he was, backstage of the second round of the biggest piano competition of his life, freaking out. 

Sakusa actually happened to be next to him. He could recognize it, the way the blonde paced the floor, the way he panted as if he had just ran from somewhere, the eyes, oh the eyes Kiyoomi recognized the most, almost brought to tears, widening to hopefully find some way to make it better. 

Kiyoomi wanted, he needed to help Atsumu. The blonde was right in front of him, whispering nonsense to himself. He had never seen him so nervous before. 

And Atsumu wasn’t even sure why either. He was never nervous when it came to playing the piano. All he knew was that he really wanted to play, to touch the keys and show everyone his music. 

So what was wrong? 

Sakusa wanted to help,

But he couldn’t. He didn’t know what to do, or what to say. He was stuck, and so was Atsumu. 

Atsumu paused his walking when he hears the crowds of people in the audience. He pauses, and feels as his heart beats faster. He feels like he’s going to throw up. 

And as the crowd continues to chatter and chatter, Atsumu looks at Kiyoomi, dead in the eye. The sight is painful for Saksua. He’s never seen the blonde like this before, and he never wanted to again. 

Kiyoomi opens his mouth, but nothing but air comes out. And Sakusa is devastated. Why couldn’t he just talk. 

But Atsumu speaks instead.

“Funny huh, Omi?” Atsumu says. Sakusa says nothing. He sees tears rolling down his face. “I’m never nervous, but here I am, cryin’ about some piano competition.” 

He sniffs. 

“Ya know Omi. I practiced really hard for today.” Atsumu says, wiping away the tears on his cheeks. “I hope it’s enough.” 

Sakusa can’t find the words. 

“Omi. I’m sorry I pushed ya.” Atsumu says, “I just wanted ya to tell me what was wrong. I wanted to be there for ya.” 

Sakusa can hear Kuroo from the stage. “Welcome everyone, to the second round of the competition.” 

“I’m really sorry Omi.” Atsumu looks down. “And now I’m just here, freakin’ out for who knows why.” He sniffles some more, and Sakusa can hear his voice break. 

And that’s when Kiyoomi realizes, there’s no need for words. He walks up to the blonde, and intertwines Atsumu's hand with his. 

Atsumu looks up at him. “Omi?” 

But Sakusa looks towards the stage. 

There it was, the grand piano sitting in the middle of the stage, shining under the lights. 

And Atsumu’s tears stop falling. 

“You can hold my hand if you're nervous.” Kiyoomi says. 

Atsumu looks at him in awe, but before he can say anything, Kiyoomi opens his mouth again. 

“I’m sorry too.” He says. “I was jealous, you were right.” He doesn’t look at Atsumu but the blonde can tell it's genuine. “You did amazing. You were amazing.” 

Sakusa takes a deep breath before facing Atsumu. “And you still are amazing.” He says. “You don’t need to be nervous. No matter what…” Kiyoomi touches his hair softly, making Atsumu feel that familiar skip in his heartbeat again, “you’ll always do great. I know you will.”

Atsumu squeezes his hand, and Sakusa squeezes it back. 

“Y’know.” Atsumu says. “That’s you too.” Kiyoomi looks at him. “You’re amazing too. You don’t need some competition to tell you or me that. It’s just a known fact.” 

Sakusa blushes, and it feels like time stops for a moment when the two gaze at each other in the eyes. They’re quiet. 

“Our first contestant is Sakusa Kiyoomi, from Ichikawa!” Sakusa can hear Kuroo say from on the stage. 

Atsumu smiles at Kiyoomi. He squeezes his hand. “Show them what yer made of.” He says. “We don’t need to tell them anything about you, or let them know anything before. All they need to know how talented you are is your music Omi.” Atsumu pushes him lightly towards the stage. 

And Sakusa smiles, agreeing with the blonde. 

There’s no need for words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Few things:   
> ->There will not be a chapter or anything written dedicated for this round of the competition, sorry....  
> -> There will be two more rounds.   
> -> I have made notes for the rest of this story, and at the moment I have concluded that this will be 37 chapters in total (unless I add an epilogue, then like 38 sort of ...)  
> -> you all are wonderful people and I hope yer living your best lives :)  
> -> Sorry the angst wasn't too long :') there will be more closure from the argument in the next chapter!  
> -> Do I post BokuAka story before or after the end of Duet? LOL idk...
> 
> HOPE YOU ALL ARE DOING WELL, AND HOPE YOU LIKED THE CHAPTER

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Main piece mentioned for story: Waltz No 9 in A Flat, op 69, Chopin
> 
> Bokuaka story for this series is coming :))
> 
> Follow my Twitter!  
> @ BNTHSI  
> I’ll be posting drabbles and random things I think of for this story on both! (But only if ya wanna ofc :D )


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